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Israeli press alarmed as criticism of Israel becomes winning recipe in US politics Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 12:37 Primary defeats for pro-Israel Democrats have deepened fears about the state's declining popularity in the US Congressional candidate Brad Lander (left) with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after declaring victory in Brooklyn on 23 June 2026 (AFP/Spencer Platt) Off A string of primary victories by left-wing Democratic candidates has triggered alarm across Israeli media and pro-Israel circles, with commentators warning that support for Israel no longer guarantees "political success". The victory of democratic socialist Melat Kiros over 15-term pro-Israel US Representative Diana DeGette in Colorado’s primary election on Tuesday added to a series of wins by candidates who have challenged Israel’s influence over US politics, opposed the genocide in Gaza and described Israel as an apartheid state. Kiros's win followed wins by three Democratic Socialist candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as well as another in a Philadelphia congressional primary and one in the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington DC. The Democratic Socialists are a left-leaning faction that often contests primary elections with the Democratic Party and is becoming a formidable force within the US left. Israeli outlets have treated the results as more than a domestic US political story. They have framed them as another sign that Israel’s standing in the US – particularly among Democratic voters – is collapsing amid its wars on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. In an editorial published on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post, whose owner has been closely associated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that the Democratic Party was moving further away from Israel. “Who would have thought that we would ever be looking back nostalgically on the days when the anti-Israel “Squad” in the US Congress numbered only four people? ” the editorial said. Gaza emerges as a defining issue for Gen Z voters in New York Democratic primaries Read More » The Squad refers to a group of progressive Democratic lawmakers in the US Congress, originally made up of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. They became known for pushing the party left on healthcare, climate justice, racial justice and Palestinian rights. Many of the latest primary winners have campaigned on platforms that include universal healthcare, a universal basic income, publicly owned grocery stores, ending US military aid to Israel, stopping the genocide in Gaza and recognising Israel as an apartheid state. The Jerusalem Post described the latest wave of Democratic victories as “an Israel problem”. The paper said the danger lies in how these candidates are “already changing the party’s priorities, changing how Democratic politicians approach Israel, and changing the tenor of the debate surrounding Israel”. 'A new generation have turned on Israel' The Times of Israel also reflected the anxiety spreading through Israel’s political and media establishment. One writer described the recent democratic socialist wins in New York as a “cautionary tale” and compared them to the “Russian Revolution of 1917”, which ushered in the Soviet Union. Another writer at the outlet said the ”resounding victories… signify that a new generation of Democrats have turned on Israel”. The results mirror a sharp shift in public opinion. Polling by the Pew Research Center has found that almost 80 percent of Democrats and independents hold critical views of Israel. 'Being staunchly anti-Israel is no longer a road block to success in Democratic politics' - Jewish Telegraphic Agency Among Democratic voters, support for Israel has eroded sharply. A Quinnipiac University survey released on 24 June found that 48 percent of American voters believe the United States is “too supportive” of Israel, while 38 percent said US support is about right and 7 percent said Washington is not supportive enough. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency said New York's primary results felt “more seismic” than Mamdani’s rise to City Hall last November. “Being staunchly anti-Israel is no longer a road block to success in Democratic politics… This is the first time that incumbent congressmen have lost their seats in campaigns in which they were repeatedly attacked for being too supportive of Israel,” the outlet said. The agency added that, whatever local issues shaped each race, the success of candidates who criticised Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) sent a powerful message. Worries for pro-Israel media outlets The pro-Israel outlet The Free Press, founded by Bari Weiss, who is now the controversial editor-in-chief of CBS News, cast the results as part of a wider struggle inside the Democratic Party. It presented the battle as one between the party’s pro-Israel old guard and an insurgent grassroots left that it described as “virulently anti-Israel”. In Haaretz, one opinion piece said: “The new mayor [Mamdani] has remade his city's politics, at the expense of pro-Israeli incumbents who were tossed aside”, and added that much of the “political ammunition” used against those incumbents was “Made in Israel”. Another analysis in Haaretz said victories by Israel-critical Democrats demanding a break from the status quo in the US-Israel relationship were “now a feature of Democratic Party demands rather than a bug”. “Not only are Democrats fed up with the Israeli policies AIPAC defends, but also by its leading role as an outside spender in primary races – often fueled by Republican megadonor money – in determining Democratic races,” it added. Inside Israel News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure and military targets. Russian officials have reported repeated strikes in border regions, while Moscow has said its air defences had intercepted hundreds of drones from Ukraine in recent days. This comes as a new study shows that Russia is bearing the brunt of military losses, with a Russia/Ukraine casualty rate of 8 to 1 in 2026. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more on what to know.

Military · Geopolitical

Iranian press review: Calls grow to maintain military pressure on Gulf states A younger generation of analysts close to Iran's ruling establishment says the only way to reach trade deals with the Arab states of the southern Gulf is to maintain military pressure on them. The group has gained more space to express its views after many senior Iranian political and military figures were killed in this year's US-Israeli war on Iran. Speaking on a television roundtable, Majid Shakeri, an analyst close to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said there was no way to secure a practical trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) without continued military pressure. "Having a trade agreement with the Persian Gulf countries is not incompatible with continuing military pressure on them because previous experiences have shown that pursuing a neighbourhood policy with them leads nowhere," he said. Shakeri said the same approach should apply to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. "If we want to reach economic deals, we must keep up the [military] pressure because we have seen many times that the Emiratis, Qataris and Saudis promise investment in official meetings, but later it becomes clear that those promises were only meant to influence Iran's behaviour," he said. To read a wrap of other recent stories from Iranian media, check out the press review below. Iranian press review: Calls grow to maintain military pressure on Gulf states The sun sets over a vessel off the coast of Dubai on 2 June 2026 (AFP)

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Trump's Board of Peace says Unrwa has 'no place' in Gaza Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 09:19 US ambassador Jeff Bartos called on nations to stop funding Unrwa and instead direct their financial support at the annual UN pledging conference on Tuesday A displaced Palestinian woman uses a piece of cardboard to fan her sleeping daughter as they shelter at a school on a hot day, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, 1 July 2026 (Reuters) Off US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace has said that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) "has no place in new Gaza". In a post on X, the Board said that: "We are turning a page on the complex of perpetual aid dependency and conflict. The people of Gaza deserve better. " The board retweeted a speech by US ambassador Jeff Bartos at the annual UN pledging conference on Tuesday, calling on nations to stop funding Unrwa and instead direct their financial support. "You can choose to fund incitement, terrorism, and stagnation, or you can choose to fund the Board of Peace, giving Gazans a path to peace, prosperity and real, durable change," Bartos said. Unrwa serves around 5.9 million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is the main UN agency operating in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, overseeing the majority of aid distribution in the enclave. In Gaza, much of the strip’s 2.2 million population depends on Unrwa for food, shelter, healthcare and education. Smaller aid groups rely on their distribution networks to operate. But since March 2025, an Israeli ban on the agency's operations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories has effectively barred the organisation from directly bringing in staff and aid into Gaza, severely curtailing its activities in the besieged enclave. Unrwa said that as a result, it has been unable to distribute warehouses full of aid waiting outside Gaza, including "enough food parcels, flour, and shelter supplies for hundreds of thousands of people". The Palestinian Authority rejected the board's comments, affirming that the agency remains “an indispensable lifeline” for Palestinians, and plays an "essential role" in the provision of education, healthcare, and emergency assistance across the occupied Palestinian territories. In February, an Israeli High Court temporarily halted a ban on 37 international aid groups - including Medecins Sans Frontieres, Oxfam, Save the Children, ActionAid and the Norwegian Refugee Council. The organisations had been informed in December that they would need to fulfil stringent new regulations, including the disclosure of details of their staff members, in order to continue operating in Gaza. A report by the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, in June described the situation in Gaza as "volatile and insecure", with the majority of the population confined to "shrinking and overcrowded spaces where essential services are overstretched", with limited acces to safe water and "solid waste accumulating in residential areas". The report added that the situation is further exacerbated by tightening Israeli restrictions on the passage of aid into the strip, with the Kerem Shalom crossing remaining the only entry point for approved cargo to reach the enclave. It noted that on 1 June, Israeli forces began re-routing humanitarian convoys through a new checkpoint where they have been held up by delays, congestion, malfunctions and slow screening. Concentration camps On Tuesday, Israeli media revealed that the Board of Peace is set to launch “Hamas-free humanitarian zones” in Gaza, where Palestinians will be herded while the Israeli military expands its control over the rest of the territory. Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the first site will open in Tel Sultan, near Rafah, “within weeks”, and house civilians “with no weapons or affiliation with Hamas”. It added that the zone will be policed by a “multinational force”, known as the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which will be equipped with “non-lethal weapons” and operate from the Israeli Amitai Camp near Gaza under the command of the board. According to the report, aid will be supplied to the zones, but no detail was given on how this will be distributed and by whom. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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The trials took place at the Moscow Military District's counter-UAV center

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Tino Chrupalla pointed out that the terrorist attack against a vital artery of German industry must be thoroughly investigated,

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Satellite imagery shows that Philippine military bases open to US troops have expanded more slowly than expected, according to a Chinese think tank. In a report published on Thursday, the Beijing-based South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) zoomed in on the nine sites covered by the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two treaty allies. It said the sites reflected Washington’s efforts to transform the Philippines from a “strategic rear” into a...

Military · Geopolitical

Iranian press review: Calls grow to maintain military pressure on Gulf states Submitted by MEE correspondent on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 09:58 Mothers mark Ashura by mourning children killed in protests, lawmakers challenge Ghalibaf over suspension of parliament, and the national football team is praised abroad but criticised at home The sun sets over a vessel off the coast of Dubai on 2 June 2026 (AFP) Off Military pressure is key to Gulf trade deals, says analyst A younger generation of analysts close to Iran's ruling establishment says the only way to reach trade deals with the Arab states of the southern Gulf is to maintain military pressure on them. The group has gained more space to express its views after many senior Iranian political and military figures were killed in this year's US-Israeli war on Iran. Speaking on a television roundtable, Majid Shakeri, an analyst close to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said there was no way to secure a practical trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) without continued military pressure. "Having a trade agreement with the Persian Gulf countries is not incompatible with continuing military pressure on them because previous experiences have shown that pursuing a neighbourhood policy with them leads nowhere," he said. Shakeri said the same approach should apply to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. "If we want to reach economic deals, we must keep up the [military] pressure because we have seen many times that the Emiratis, Qataris and Saudis promise investment in official meetings, but later it becomes clear that those promises were only meant to influence Iran's behaviour," he said. He also argued that Iran should continue attacking US military bases in the region to strengthen its position in economic negotiations. "The only way to make such agreements happen is to continue targeting American bases in the UAE to force them to leave the region and, at the same time, maintain pressure on the UAE," he said. Remembering victims of protests during Ashura Mothers whose children were killed in the Iranian government's crackdown on nationwide protests in January have used a mourning period for Shia Muslims to commemorate their loved ones and denounce the authorities. In the shadow of Minab: Inside the US testing of 'new missiles' on Iran’s Lamerd Read More » For Shias, Ashura commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was slain by the forces of Yazid ibn Muawiyah at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The month has long symbolised both mourning and resistance against injustice. Videos circulated by Persian-language media in recent days show grieving mothers publicly remembering their children, while in other cases, mourning processions stopped outside victims' homes to pay tribute. One video shows the mother of 18-year-old Mani Safarpour, who was killed in southern Tehran, holding her son's photograph as mourners beat drums. In the video, she repeatedly cries, "My son, my dear son," while striking her head and chest in mourning. Another video shows the mother of 22-year-old university student Matin Parvizi, who was shot dead in Zanjan, speaking at her son's graveside. "The Yazids of our time shot my son in the back while his hands were in his pockets," she says. "He had nothing with which to defend himself. " According to Iranian authorities, 3,117 people were killed during the unrest. Human rights organisations have disputed the official figures, reporting significantly higher death tolls. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, Hrana, says it has identified 6,488 protesters who were killed. Anger over Ghalibaf's closure of parliament Several lawmakers have accused Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf of acting unilaterally by keeping parliament closed, saying he has sidelined the legislature and concentrated decision-making in his own hands. Parliament has not held a public session since 28 February, when the US and Israel launched a new war on Iran. In recent days, criticism has grown over the continued suspension of parliamentary sessions, with lawmakers protesting the decision. The war on Iran was a strategic disaster for America and Israel Read More » Critics argue that Ghalibaf has effectively stripped parliament of its role during a time of war and has instead been making decisions on his own. Kamran Ghazanfari, a conservative lawmaker, was among those criticising the speaker, saying, "We have repeatedly said that Mr Ghalibaf has been illegally keeping the parliament's public sessions closed for the past four months. " He also rejected Ghalibaf's claim that the closure was based on a decision by the Supreme National Security Council, calling it "a complete lie". Another lawmaker, Ali Akbar Alizadeh, also questioned the legal basis for suspending parliament. "According to our follow-ups, neither the Supreme National Security Council nor its secretariat issued a decision to close parliament," he said. National football team criticised at home Despite being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after drawing all three of its group-stage matches, Iran's national football team has received praise from many experts and fans outside the country. Inside Iran, however, football experts have sharply criticised the team's tactical performance and the way it is managed by government-backed football officials. 'In terms of tactics and style of play, our team did not perform well... our national team had no plan to build attacks from the beginning to the end of the matches' - Mohammad Kalhor, football coach Much of the praise the team received abroad was linked to the obstacles it faced during the tournament. As one of the World Cup hosts, the United States did not allow the Iranian team to hold its training camp in the country, refused visas to some members of its technical and managerial staff, and required the team to leave the United States and return to Tijuana, Mexico, after each match. In Iran, however, some football experts dismissed those issues as off-field matters and blamed the team's failure to reach the next round on tactical weaknesses and what they described as the "mafia-like management" of Iranian football. Mohammad Kalhor, a former player and football coach, was among those who blamed the national football federation for the team's elimination, saying, "There is a mafia in our football. " Although Kalhor did not elaborate on the claim in an interview with the Etemad newspaper, he suggested that it influenced both the selection of the national team's ageing squad and the appointment of its head coach. Assessing the team's performance, Kalhor said: "In terms of tactics and style of play, our team did not perform well. The reason is that our national team had no plan to build attacks from the beginning to the end of the matches, except when we received a goal and had to attack. We had the ability to attack before that, but I do not know why it did not happen. " *Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by MEE. Iranian Press Review News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Military · Geopolitical

Israel's largest oil refineries to undergo years of repairs after Iranian strikes, report says Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 10:31 Channel 12 says Haifa refineries suffered more damage than officials admitted and will be under reconstruction until 2028 Firefighters tackle a fire at a refinery in Israel's northern city of Haifa on 30 March 2026, following a projectile impact (Jack Guez/AFP) Off Israel 's largest oil refineries sustained far heavier damage from Iranian missile strikes during the US-Israeli war on Iran than authorities previously acknowledged, Israeli media reported. Reconstruction works at the refineries in Haifa Bay, in the north of Israel, are expected to be completed in 2028. Israel's Channel 12 News reported on Monday that they sustained severe damage after two separate Iranian strikes earlier this year, despite Minister of Energy Eli Cohen and Bazan, the company operating the site, claiming no material damage had been recorded. Bazan told the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in March that the roof of a distillate tank had sustained "localised damage" and that all production facilities were operational. "The company estimates that the damage is not significant. As of the time of this announcement, all the company's facilities remain operational," Bazan said at the time. But according to Yeshiva World, citing the official report by the interior ministry, damage was reported at gas turbines, steam boilers, electrical rooms and other auxiliary systems that had not previously been publicly reported. Channel 12 News reported that the Ministry of Interior had approved large-scale reconstruction works. One oil derivatives storage tank struck during an attack in March is beyond repair. The channel reported that the refineries had also sustained damage last year, during Israel's 12-day war with Iran. It said three Bazan employees were killed after Iranian missiles pierced the US-backed Iron Dome mobile air defence system in June 2025. At the time, Bazan estimated the losses at $150-200m, while Israeli officials maintained that fuel supplies would not be affected. Military censorship The Bazan refineries are among Israel's most strategically important industrial sites, supplying oil products for industry, agriculture, infrastructure and domestic consumption. According to the company's website, the refineries have the capacity to produce approximately 26,000 tonnes of oil per day and can process about 9.8m tonnes of crude oil annually. The refineries in Haifa Bay were built during the British Mandate over Palestine, with the British authorities using the facilities to transport crude oil from Iraq through the Kirkuk-Haifa pipeline. Israel's 'kill first' strategy is now aimed at Turkey. Will the region respond? Read More » After Israel occupied Haifa and established the State of Israel during the 1948 war, the Israeli government took control of the refineries, with the Bazan cooling towers becoming one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. In recent years, Israel has refused to disclose the full extent of the damage caused by Iranian missile strikes, applying strict military censorship. According to +972 Magazine, Israeli military censorship reached its highest level in 2024 since the outlet began collecting data in 2011, with approximately 8,000 articles either banned outright or partially censored. While military censorship declined last year, with around 5,000 articles banned or partially censored, +972 Magazine still recorded the second-highest annual total of censored articles since 2011. During the war, Iran is alleged to have struck several strategic sites across Israel, including the Kirya in Tel Aviv, the Weizmann Institute, the Nevatim airbase and the Haifa port area. Earlier this month, the Times of Israel reported that a hangar at the Ramat David airbase had been damaged, citing low-resolution satellite imagery. War on Iran Tel Aviv News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, July 2nd

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Dmitry Peskov highlighted that the strikes had targeted only military or military-related facilities

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Israel arrests five women activists in the occupied West Bank The Israeli army arrested five women activists in the occupied West Bank early on Wednesday morning. The women, who work with health committees, were arrested after their homes were raided. The Palestinian Prisoners' Club reported that the arrests included Jamila Abu Dahou and Jamila Kanaan from Ramallah, released prisoners Maysar al-Faqih and Faten Hanaysheh from Nablus, and Etaf Bader from Hebron, in addition to 15 other Palestinians. Abdul Rahman Bader, the husband of 66-year-old Etaf, told Middle East Eye that soldiers stormed their home in Hebron and asked for his wife's ID. Upon recognising her, they informed her that she was under arrest. Her husband tried to find out why, but the soldiers wouldn't tell him anything and told him to remain calm. They then searched the rooms and opened the wardrobes before taking her to a military vehicle, handcuffing her, and blindfolding her. “We don’t know where she was taken, and we hope the arrest is temporary and for questioning only,” he said. Read more: Doctor and nurse amongst five Palestinian women arrested by Israel in occupied West Bank

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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said that she will propose expanding sanctions against companies supporting Russia's military industry following a Russian large-scale attack on Kyiv on the night of 1-2 July.

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Military-industrial enterprises and facilities of the fuel and energy complex in the city of Kiev and the Kiev region were struck, as well as the infrastructure of military airfields in the Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkassy, Chernigov, and Kiev regions

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Centcom leads regional security dialogue with Middle East military officials US Central Command has led a "security dialogue" alongside Bahrain's defence forces with military officials from across the Middle East. Representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen discussed "enhancing defence collaboration across the region", Centcom said in a post on X. Centcom Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the discussions "underscored our shared commitment to regional security and stability".

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Iran puts military on alert for Khamenei funeral Iran’s military has been placed on high alert before the multi-day funeral for Khamenei, Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia says. Akraminia said Iranian forces had increased deployments as senior officials, clerics and political figures from several countries prepared to arrive for the ceremonies. “The army’s ground, naval and air forces have expanded their active presence across the country’s borders to help ensure security,” he told the IRNA news agency. He added that Iran’s air defence force is carrying out continuous surveillance of the country’s airspace.

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Iran tells UN Israel is normalising ‘state terrorism’ Iran has filed a protest at the United Nations after Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to assassinate Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, raised the issue in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Security Council and the General Assembly. He described Katz’s threat as “part of a deliberate and systematic policy of state terrorism” aimed at Iranian officials. Iravani said the threat formed part of the “Israeli regime’s illegal acts of aggression against Iran, including the assassination of the late Iranian leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and other senior political and military officials, carried out with the participation, coordination, and support of the United States”. He also accused the Security Council of enabling Israeli impunity and warned that Tehran would respond to any hostile action. " “Unfortunately, the failure of the Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities under the UN Charter has reinforced the climate of impunity and has made the Israeli regime more brazen in normalising state terrorism, which sets a very dangerous precedent and poses a serious threat to international peace and security.

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Qatar says US-Iran talks made ‘positive progress’ Qatar says indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Doha have made “positive progress”, with another round expected after the funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader. “Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on X. “The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader,” he said. The talks come as Qatar and Pakistan try to keep diplomacy alive after days of US-Iran military exchanges threatened to derail the fragile agreement.

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Pakistan says US-Iran talks make progress in Doha Pakistan says indirect talks between Iranian and US delegations in Doha have ended with “positive progress made on issues related to the aspects of the Islamabad MoU”. In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the discussions would continue in the coming period. “Parties have agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be set at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader,” the ministry said. PR No. The talks form part of efforts by Pakistan and Qatar to keep diplomacy on track after recent US-Iran military exchanges threatened to undermine the fragile agreement. 160/2026 Qatari and Pakistani Mediatiors Meetings with the US and Iranian Negotiations in Doha Today 🔗⬇️ pic. twitter. com/BXTW9RgiLY — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 2, 2026

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The right’s verdict is in: white, heterosexual, Christian men face the most discrimination in the US. The Giants don’t want to push back On 19 June, the New York Times published an article on the hostility toward minority members of the military at the Department of Defense and the blocking of several promotions of minority, non-male officers despite their decorations and accomplishments. The Times attributed the ideological climate to defense secretary Pete Hegseth, who, according to the newspaper, is waging a “war on diversity”. Four days earlier, California governor Gavin Newsom said that the Department of Justice was investigating him and his wife for alleged financial irregularities, adding to the speculation long held that Donald Trump’s administration would spend its second term weaponizing the government to settle scores. As Hegseth attacks race, gender and “diversity” through the military with the aim of restoring an unchallenged and unquestioned white, Christian leadership, and the justice department harasses Trump’s political opponents, the DoJ used the San Francisco Giants’ honoring of pride month to open yet another front in what the president sees as a culture war against white men. The Giants incurred additional damage, all of it embarrassingly self-inflicted. Their milky, cowardly response betrayed their own city, a large part of their fanbase and the organization’s history. Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including The Heritage: Black Athletes, A Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism and Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America. Continue reading...

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Military · Geopolitical

Ukrainian military personnel have spotted Russian Gerbera drones fitted with additional fuel tanks. Such drones may be used for signals intelligence.

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The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their attack on El-Fasher city between 2024 and 2025, Amnesty International alleged Wednesday. Sudan has been mired since April 2023 in a brutal war between the army and the RSF, which has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee, according to the United Nations. Both sides have been accused of atrocities, with a UN independent fact-finding mission in February concluding...

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New technology is speeding up development and cutting costs of military equipment

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Amnesty International says Sudan's Rapid Support Forces militia committed ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in its assault on the city of el-Fasher amid the longrunning civil war with Sudan's military.

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According to Andrey Marochko, this is 7,180 more than in May

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Andrey Marochko specified that in June Russian forces had liberated 20 settlements, including ten in the DPR

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Reservists could be called up in crisis situations, including in the event of "hybrid threats," even if there is no formal need to defend the country

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Israel Katz said the troops would remain there for an indefinite period