"US Will Bomb The S*** Out Of Oman If It Gets In Way": Trump's Hormuz Warning

08/17/26 5:48 PM

Over the recent weeks, Iranian diplomats have been in negotiations with officials from Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

'Don't Beg': Pakistan's Strict Warning To Hajj Pilgrims In Saudi Arabia

08/17/26 8:53 PM

The Pakistani Embassy in Saudi Arabia, in a message aimed at incoming Umrah pilgrims and workers, urged Pakistani nationals to comply fully with Saudi laws and the conditions attached to their visas.

'Extraordinary' detail about Trump's catering container escape has Iran experts terrified

08/14/26 5:49 PM

Iran experts expressed extreme alarm Friday as more information emerged about President Donald Trump's frantic escape from a missile threat in a catering container, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Friday.The ploy to switch planes from Air Force One to another jet amid a threat from Iran has ignited a media firestorm and raised more questions about the current war. As Trump boarded another plane, which was accompanied by jet fighters, it left the press unknowingly vulnerable on Air Force One with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent."A U.S. official defended the response, noting the daily dangers Trump faces and said the threat revealed by the intelligence was serious enough for the Secret Service to greenlight the decoy plan and send the warplanes," according to The Journal."There are also growing fears about what the maneuver reveals: an administration genuinely concerned that Iran-linked assassins could, even in a friendly nation, endanger Trump," The Journal reported. Holly Dagres, an Iran expert at the think tank the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, described why this Trump administration move was so significant."It’s quite extraordinary that the president had to be smuggled onto a different plane after a NATO summit in a NATO country," Dagres said. "While the Trump administration touts the weakness of the Islamic Republic, its reach remains extensive enough to allegedly try and kill the most heavily protected leader in the world."

'God help us': Alarms sound after Trump's latest military maneuver

08/16/26 10:17 PM

President Donald Trump stoked alarm on Sunday after he adhered to a foreign dictator's demands to reduce U.S. military exercises with South Korea. Trump announced on Truth Social that he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reduce the scale of the joint military exercises conducted between the U.S. and South Korea. The move came just days after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un described the exercises as a threat to his regime, and promised to escalate retaliatory threats in response. "These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful," Trump wrote. Trump's announcement rankled political analysts and observers across the political spectrum, some of whom shared their reactions on social media. "God help us," Ken Gardner, a political commentator, posted on X. "North Korea just provided Russia with thousands of missiles to attack Ukraine. Russia is working with Iran to murder U.S. citizens," Laura Loomer, a MAGA influencer, posted on X. "I wouldn’t exactly call North Korea unthreatening and respectful, personally, now that we know Russia has been giving weapons and satellite imagery to Iran to kill U.S. soldiers.""Helping North Korea even as they send 50,000 troops to help Putin. Almost seems as if it’s coordinated. Almost seems as if Vladimir Putin is acting as the White House chief of staff," Norman Ornstein, a contributing editor at The Atlantic and a political scientist, posted on X. "Russia before Ukraine and now N Korea before S. Korea. We have now lost international credibility," Jeff Storobinsky, host of the "In Front of Us" podcast, posted on X.

'Heartbroken' military families beg for help over 'miserable' new warship revelations

08/14/26 7:04 PM

As concerns mounted Friday over poor conditions onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, families of military service members on another Navy ship were pleading for help.A new report from independent journalist Aaron Parnas detailed the troubling conditions and declining morale shared by sailors' families, including how service members on the USS George H.W. Bush were facing "virtually no food, water, or soap," The Daily Beast reported.A loved one of two U.S. sailors told Parnas via text how the situation was worsening for sailors on the warship in the Arabian Sea as the Iran war now drags on for more than five months."They've been out at sea for 146 days with no end in sight," the unnamed family member said. They learned about the conditions when her sister-in-law left the ship for a family emergency. "Morale is low, and everyone is miserable. It's heartbreaking."The USS Bush left Norfolk, Virginia, in March, The Beast reported.The reports onboard follow growing frustration about the USS Abraham Lincoln's roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines, who are nine months into a deployment that was supposed to end in May, with no return date announced.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed back on the accounts, telling reporters Thursday that the conditions had been "completely misrepresented," though he did not specify his concerns with the reporting. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who pressed Hegseth for answers, rejected that characterization as disrespectful to the sailors enduring the hardships.The Navy has acknowledged the war disrupted supply routes but said the Lincoln now has access to clean water and healthy meals. The carrier USS George Washington is being sent to relieve the ship, which has been at sea more than 240 days with only two port calls.

'Imran Khan's Eye Condition Almost Normal': Pak Jail Authorities To Court

08/18/26 12:33 AM

The development comes a day before the court was set to hear Khan's plea for his treatment at Islamabad's Shifa International, a leading private medical facility.

'Magical thinking': Jared Kushner slapped with humiliating takedown over 'peace' claim

08/13/26 6:10 PM

Jared Kushner drew immediate backlash for a social media post claiming President Donald Trump had opened a new chapter of 'peace' in the Middle East, as a U.S.-initiated war raged on.Kushner posted Thursday on X to mark what he called the six-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords — the 2020 diplomatic agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.The comments came despite a war that Trump began February 28 by launching strikes against Iran, igniting a regional conflict that has since drawn in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, according to the Council on Foreign Relations."Magical thinking is the new norm in this US administration," former diplomat Alan Eyre responded on X, quoting Kushner's post.Eyre spent 40 years as a U.S. Foreign Service diplomat and served as the sole career diplomat on the U.S. nuclear negotiating team that produced the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.In his post on X, Kushner claimed that Trump had delivered what many said was impossible."Six years ago, President Trump launched the Abraham Accords and opened a new chapter of peace, partnership, and prosperity in the Middle East," Kushner wrote."The Middle East is once again at an inflection point," the president's son-in-law added. "Now we have an opportunity to build an even broader movement around cooperation, shared prosperity and security."In the February 28 strike on Iran, the U.S. and Israel killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior military figures, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The war has not ended.Since March 2, Israel has also waged a separate war in Lebanon, where more than 4,300 people have been killed, including at least 253 children, according to the United Nations.Former Obama White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor was among those who replied to Kushner directly on X."Yes the Middle East has been so peaceful since the signing of the Abraham Accords. No new wars. No slaughter of innocent people. Just good vibes and trade deals," Vietor wrote.Kushner, however, focused on the future."We surprised the world once. With the right leadership, focus, patience and courage, I believe we can do it again," he wrote.Andreas Krieg, a security analyst at King's College London, was less optimistic."Project 'Peace in the Middle East' is going very well indeed," Krieg replied to Kushner.The Strait of Hormuz — through which 20 percent of the world's oil once flowed — remained effectively closed as of Wednesday, with U.S.-Iran negotiations stalled, according to CNN.

'Manic' Hegseth slapped with drug test demands after 'arm thrashing' appearance

08/14/26 10:40 AM

A frantic appearance by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's before the media Thursday drew an accusation that he may require drug testing or an abuse intervention.The embattled President Donald Trump appointee spoke to reporters and attempted to address concerns about his deployment of an aircraft carrier in the Middle East that has lasted so long that one sailor attempted to leap overboard.Speaking to reporters in Panama, an intense Hegseth, 46, discussed the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier on extended deployment near Iran, the Daily Beast reported."We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain, has everything we can provide them at every single moment," Hegseth said, adding that he understood the strain of long deployments from his own military service in Iraq and Afghanistan.His appearance and rapid-fire commentary caught the attention of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who posted on X describing Hegseth as appearing "delusional, manic, agitated" and noting his "arm-thrashing display." Newsom questioned whether Hegseth had recently undergone drug testing, asking, "Has Pete Hegseth done a drug test lately? Why are the results not public?"This is not the first time Hegseth has raised concerns by acting in a "manic" manner, according to Pentagon insiders.Hegseth has a documented history of substance abuse concerns. His ex-wife told the FBI that he "drinks more often than he doesn't," and former Fox News colleagues said he reeked of alcohol before going on air. Hegseth pledged to abstain from alcohol ahead of his Senate confirmation, which was narrowly approved with Vice President JD Vance providing a tie-breaking vote.

'Oh my God!' Wife of USS Lincoln sailor 'infuriated' after Trump accused families of lying

08/14/26 10:14 PM

A U.S. service member's wife had a blunt response on Friday for President Donald Trump after he dismissed reports of poor conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, even as families expressed serious concerns about their loved ones.CNN anchor Jake Tapper spoke with the unnamed woman, who shared that she could not identify herself over concerns for her husband's safety and career. Tapper asked what her reaction was to Trump's remarks after the president said he did not think the deployment was "long enough." Nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines have been deployed on the warship for nine months in the Arabian Sea during the Iran war."Oh my God! I don't think the man thinks before he talks," she said. "I was really hoping that at some point there would be a redemption. Try to redeem yourself at least a little bit with everything that you do and everything that you say. Have some empathy. Take some accountability for what's going on with your military, your ships, and your war. It's infuriating." She slammed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump for their comments dismissing the reports of deteriorating conditions and low morale among the troops."What the president is saying today, essentially saying that families are lying and service members are lying, even though the proof is right here on my phone, it is not fabricated," she said. "Nobody is lying."She criticized the Trump administration for not showing sympathy for service members "that they claim to scream and shout that they support when it's politically sound for them to use, 'support our troops, support our troops' until our troops need support. And now suddenly everyone's lying. And it's a fabrication and it's a misrepresentation.""I would so badly love to plaster my face and blow the whistle so loud on social media with my name and be like, 'this is real. We are real people. Those are real people on that ship. This is actually happening.' But unfortunately, I have to protect my husband's career."

'Sick': Firestorm as 'Cadet Bone Spurs' dismisses disgruntled military families

08/14/26 6:35 PM

People were outraged on Friday after President Donald Trump downplayed the reportedly poor conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where service members have described a dire situation.Trump was boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland heading to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when the press corps started asking him questions about the naval vessel and sailors on board."Family members of service members are concerned about conditions on the USS Lincoln," one reporter said."That ship is moving. No, they’re not," Trump responded, saying that the ship would be replaced with another ship."Has the deployment gone on too long?" The reporter asked."No, no, no. Not nearly long enough," Trump said, not acknowledging military family members' worries.Political commentators and media experts reacted to the president's remarks.Internet personality and Chronicles associate editor Pedro L. Gonzalez reacted to Trump's response."Trump doesn't care about American troops at all," Gonzalez wrote on X. "He thinks people who serve in the military are suckers. He thinks people who fight and die for this country are fools. I don't know how you can hear Trump explicitly state that he's unconcerned about these service members and their families, that he thinks they haven't been deployed *long enough* in his idiotic war, and still conclude that he's deeply concerned about American lives."Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), an Iraq war veteran, had a sharp reaction to Trump's comments."Cadet Bone Spurs thinks he understands what happens on deployments," Gallego wrote on X. Progressive activist Alex Cole mocked Trump. "Trump: We love our military. Military: We have concerns. Trump: No you don’t," Cole wrote on X.U.S. Army veteran and activist Skyleigh Uhrich had a direct message for families of military service members."Attention Military & Military Families: Trump said 200 days of deployment at sea with no port of call is not along [sic] enough! All of you need to vote accordingly in November, all of your family members are being used as pawns in his sick game! He wouldn’t last 24 hrs pathetic mf!" Uhrich wrote on X.Liberal commentator Lucas Sanders responded to the president."Translation: I don’t care about their conditions," Sanders wrote on X.Trump doesn't care about American troops at all. He thinks people who serve in the military are suckers. He thinks people who fight and die for this country are fools. I don't know how you can hear Trump explicitly state that he's unconcerned about these service members and their… https://t.co/oEvuDGiZ9j— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) August 14, 2026