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US Strikes Iran’s Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas
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With Iran complaining about violations of ceasefire ( Arab News). Jennifer Griffin: A senior US official tells me that it was a US military strike on Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas moments ago but added this is NOT a restarting of the war or end to the ceasefire. The strike on one of Iran’s oil ports comes two days after Iran fired 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at UAE Fujairah Port, eliciting anger from Gulf countries after top Pentagon leaders said Tuesday that the Iranian strikes did not rise to the level of breaking the ceasefire, calling it low level attacks that didn’t rise to that level. President Trump abruptly called off Project Freedom to open the Strait of Hormuz and guide ships through the strait after announcing the start of the military operation on Sunday. @NBCNews @ckubeNBC was first to report that Saudi Arabia had blocked air space usage for Project Freedom leading to President Trump’s reversal on Project Freedom. A senior US official confirms to me the @wsj_com reporting from today that the Saudis and Kuwaitis reversed course after abruptly halting permission for the US to use its bases and air space for Project Freedom, a decision that this official confirmed has been reversed. Saudi officials reportedly were angry at the Pentagon downplaying the Iranian strikes on Monday ( Griffin). Mossad Commentary: US strikes on Iran’s Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island reportedly came after Gulf anger over Tehran’s missile attacks on the UAE ( Mossad).
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Iran Fires on US Ships in Strait of Hormuz; ‘They are led by LUNATICS’
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The missile and drone attacks were all successfully intercepted. CENTCOM : U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman, May 7. Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes ( CENTCOM). President Trump: Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers. They were completely destroyed along with numerous small boats, which are being used to take the place of their fully decapitated Navy. These boats went to the bottom of the Sea, quickly and efficiently. Missiles were shot at our Destroyers, and were easily knocked down. Likewise, drones came, and were incinerated while in the air. They dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave! … Iran Fires on US Ships in Strait of Hormuz ( Truth).
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Iran Strikes Chinese Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
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The Straits Times reports: A Chinese-owned oil products tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, Chinese media outlet Caixin reported, as US President Donald Trump launched a US plan that day to help stranded vessels but suspended it a day later. This was the first time a Chinese oil tanker has been attacked, a person with knowledge of the matter told Caixin on May 7. Traffic through the vital strait, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass, has been at a virtual standstill since the Iran conflict began on Feb 28. The unnamed vessel’s deck caught fire and the ship was marked “CHINA OWNER & CREW”, according to Caixin…. China remains a key buyer of Iranian oil, which has been targeted by a US blockade in the Gulf of Oman ( Straits). U.S. Ambassador to the U.N Mike Waltz: With friends like these… ( Waltz).
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US Launches New Round of Sanctions Targeting Cuban Military
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From Secretary of State Rubio on Thursday: The Trump Administration is taking decisive action to protect U.S. national security and deprive Cuba’s communist regime and military of access to illicit assets…. These sanctions are part of the Trump Administration’s comprehensive campaign to address the pressing national security threats posed by Cuba’s communist regime and hold accountable the regime and those who provide it material or financial support. Just 90 miles from the American homeland, the Cuban regime has brought the island to ruin and auctioned off the island as a platform for foreign intelligence, military and terror operations. Additional designations can be expected in the following days and weeks ( State). Sarah Anderson at PJ Media: So what exactly do these sanctions do? They freeze any of these entities’ assets in the United States and prohibit any people or companies in the U.S. from doing business with them. However — and this is big — they also threaten foreign people, companies, and financial institutions that do business with GAESA by promising to cut them off from the U.S. banking system and freezing their U.S.-based assets. In case you’re unfamiliar, GAESA functions as a sort of state within a state. Rubio calls it the “Cuban military-controlled umbrella enterprise” that “is the heart of Cuba’s kleptocratic communist system” ( PJ Media).
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South Carolina, Tennessee Join Redistricting Wars
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Tennessee Republicans adopted a new map on Thursday that should give the GOP one additional seat. Washington Post: Republicans in Tennessee adopted a plan Thursday aimed at giving them an additional congressional seat as GOP lawmakers around the country scramble to improve their fortunes this fall. The vote came in response to a Supreme Court decision last week that weakened the Voting Rights Act and gave Republicans a free hand to reshape majority-Black districts that routinely elect Democrats. Gov. Bill Lee (R) has championed the map and is expected to give it final approval. The majority-Black district being eliminated in the Memphis area has long been represented by a White Democrat, Rep. Steve Cohen. He is the lone Democrat in the state’s nine-member delegation ( Washington Post). South Carolina has a first hearing for their map today: A proposed overhaul of South Carolina’s voting lines for Congress would draw U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn out of the district he’s represented for 34 years…. A map endorsed by the White House circulated Thursday at the Statehouse, as House Republicans introduced legislation that could change the entire congressional map. One bill would draw the map. The other would set a new schedule for congressional primaries, which would be delayed by two months. Parties would have to re-open filing next month for candidates ( South Carolina Gazette).
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What’s Fading in Russia? Putin’s Image as Strongman; ‘He has no victories to celebrate’
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The grinding war—that has been devastating to Ukraine and the conscripts Putin has pushed into battle—has certainly not been what Putin had planned for, i.e.: a quick win. Wall Street Journal: Ever since coming to power more than a quarter-century ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin has built a state religion around May 9, the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and the holiest day in the Russian calendar. On Saturday, Putin will preside over a Victory Day parade for the first time since his war on Ukraine went beyond the length of the Soviet Union’s war on the Nazis. He has no victories to celebrate. Persistent Ukrainian drone strikes across Russia, including on the capital, have forced Putin to ask for a cease-fire for the duration of the festivities…. With the front line stalled, Russian casualties topping one million, the economy suffering and missile and drone strikes becoming commonplace, a deep sense of discontent has spread through the country in recent months. It potentially poses the gravest challenge to Putin’s rule so far—and may be more insidious than the aborted putsch by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023 ( Wall Street Journal).
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German Right-Wing AfD Party Gaining Ground; Surges to First in Central State of Saxony-Anhalt
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The state of Saxony-Anhalt is in what was East Germany. The AfD has now surged past current Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU: AfD is now at 41 percent with CDU at 7 percent. Jerusalem Post: Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) is on track to become the strongest party in an eastern state election in September, a poll showed on Thursday, raising the prospect of the far-right party leading a regional government for the first time. The infratest dimap survey showed support for the AfD climbing to 41% in the state of Saxony Anhalt, up 2 points from the last poll, and well ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU at 26%. The Social Democrats, Merz’s junior partners in the federal coalition, trailed at 7%…. Other parties have said they will not cooperate with the AfD, which wants tough migrant policies and closer ties with Russia, but they are struggling to challenge it, especially as an energy shock from the Iran war threatens a fragile recovery in Europe’s biggest economy ( Jerusalem Post). What’s fueling the rise?: Mass migration concerns • Economic frustration • Energy instability linked to the Iran war • Growing distrust in Germany’s political establishment ( Mossad).
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Mamdani Proving Successful at Chasing Wealthy From New York City
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The socialist mayor is alienating the wealth-creation class that made The Big Apple the envy of the world. The latest are hedge fund manager Ken Griffin of Citadel and Marc Rowan and asset manager Marc Rowan of Apollo Global Management. New York Post: There they go, Zo! Billionaire bigwigs Ken Griffin and Marc Rowan are taking thousands of jobs out of the Big Apple and setting their sights elsewhere as a “direct consequence” of Mayor Mamdani’s “tax the rich” antics — stoking fears that a big-money exodus is underway. Mamdani poked Griffin in a recent social media video that used the hedge fund titan’s recordbreaking $238 million Midtown penthouse as a backdrop to drum up support for a proposed tax on luxury second homes in the city. An appalled Griffin first threatened to scrap a $6 billion Park Avenue development for his Citadel hedge fund, then told CNBC on Tuesday that the “creepy” video spurred him to expand his firm’s hub in Florida ( New York Post). More on Marc Rowan: Private equity giant Apollo Global Management, headquartered in Manhattan, has decided to open a new business hub — internally dubbed its “second headquarters” — in either Florida or Texas with an official decision likely to be made public in the coming weeks, people close to the matter say. Apollo paid a whopping $1.276 billion in income taxes in 2025, up from $1.062 billion the year before. While filings don’t break down how much of that went to the Big Apple, the city stands to lose a hefty revenue stream as the firm looks to expand elsewhere (New York Post). Amy Curtis at Townhall: Mamdani doesn’t seem to care if they go. “No regrets.” That should terrify all the New Yorkers who aren’t billionaires ( Townhall).
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Spencer Pratt Dominates in Debate for Mayor of Los Angeles; ‘An astonishing 88 percent gave Pratt the win’
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To say Pratt is an outsider is an understatement. He is definitely shaking things up. Breitbart: An online poll conducted by NBC4, which co-hosted the debate, says it all. An astonishing 88 percent gave Pratt the win, while only seven percent chose the incumbent, Democrat Mayor Karen Bass. Councilmember Nithya Raman brought up the rear with just five percent support ( Breitbart). Bob Hoge at RedState: Pratt is no lightweight, and is in fact, a powerful voice with a firm grasp of the issues plaguing the City of Angels. He’s called out the powers that be, and showed on Wednesday night during the mayoral debate that he’s a far better answer to the city’s decline than failed Democrat incumbent mayor Karen Bass or democratic socialist extremist candidate Nithya Raman. Pratt watched his home burn to the ground — along with his parents’ residence — not due to climate change, but due to the ineptitude of California officials across the spectrum. He brought some serious reality to the discussion, and frankly embarrassed Bass and Raman’s endless progressive posturing, which has led the city to ruin ( RedState). Does he actually have a chance? He’s second in the latest poll from UCLA—at 11 percent, behind Mayor Bass at 25 percent. But: Fully 40 percent of voters are undecided ( UCLA).
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Clarence Thomas: The Second-Longest Serving Supreme Court Justice in US History
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Only William Douglas has a longer tenure. Yesterday, Thomas surpassed Justice Stephen Johnson Field. He ought to be celebrated for his jurisprudence, his respect for the Constitution and his beautiful American story. Ilya Shapiro at City Journal notes the intellectual win worth celebrating: [it is] the vindication of a constitutional vision that, for decades, was caricatured as eccentric, angry, or unserious—until the Court, and the country, began catching up. The occasion comes just as Thomas has again demonstrated why his tenure matters. Last week in Louisiana v. Callais, the Court held that Louisiana’s race-driven congressional map could not be justified by a misconstrued Voting Rights Act. As my colleague Dan Morenoff explained, Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion was correct in tightening Section 2 doctrine so that it no longer forces states into racial sorting. But Thomas, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch, concurred to say what he’s said for over 30 years: Section 2 doesn’t regulate districting at all. That’s Thomas in full. He joins the Court when it moves toward the Constitution, but doesn’t trim his sails merely because a plurality of colleagues has stopped short of first principles. …. Thomas’s influence has grown with time. For nearly 35 years he has written separately, dissented alone, returned to text and history, and refused to let bad precedent acquire moral authority merely by aging. Now the lonely concurrences are less lonely. The old dissents have become roadmaps. The justice once dismissed as Scalia’s shadow has proven to be the Court’s most consistent constitutionalist ( City Journal).
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