"We Correct That Wrong Today": Abbey Gate Gold Star Families Visit the Oval Office After Biden Forgot About Them

President Donald Trump righted a wrong on Monday by honoring the Gold Star families of the 13 soldiers killed during the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021.

In an Oval Office event, Trump signed a proclamation to mark the fourth anniversary of the bombing , which happened on August 26, 2021, after President Joe Biden ordered a hasty and what turned out to be disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Before signing the proclamation, Trump told the families of the slain standing behind him, "There are some great souls that are looking down on you right now, and they're very proud of their parents, and brothers, and sisters. Moms and dads, especially. That's what I seem to have dealt with, mostly. There's nothing tougher."

The president also thanked members of the media covering the event for being respectful towards the families.

"They deserve it. They went through hell for no reason. It should have never happened," Trump said.

Vice President J.D. Vance , a Marine Corps veteran who served during the Iraq war, added, "We're so honored to have all of you here. I know that days like today can't make the hurt go away. But hopefully four years on, we can start to remember with fondness and a little bit of joy, the people that were taken from us. We're so proud of you."

Regarding the proclamation That Trump signed, Vance said, "This is a correction of a wrong—the fact that the [former] president of the United States lost your loved ones through incompetence, but never acknowledged it. And your government never actually put pen to paper to say we're grateful for your sacrifice. We correct that wrong today."

Trump's proclamation said, in part, "As our Nation remembers this atrocious attack, we honor the memory of every brave warrior who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country."

We join in grief with the families who have senselessly lost a loved one, and we renew our solemn pledge to our 13 fallen patriots -- we will never forget you; we will never forsake you; and your memory will live on forever.

Trump's honoring of the Gold Star families stood in stark contrast to Biden's treatment of them. The 46th president was infamously caught on camera checking his watch during the dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

The New York Post Reported at the time that family members of Marines killed during the attack criticized Biden, with one father calling his repeated checking of his watch, "the most disrespectful thing I've ever seen."

Mark Schmitz -- whose 20-year-old son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz was a casualty -- told The Washington Post that his family's meeting with Biden "didn't go well."

He talked a bit more about his own son [Beau Biden] than he did my son," Schmitz said, "and that didn't sit well with me.

When he just kept talking about his son so much, it was just - my interest was lost in that. I was more focused on my own son than what happened with him and his son," Schmitz added. "I'm not trying to insult the president, but it just didn't seem that appropriate to spend that much time on his own son.

The Washington Post noted that Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015. Joe Biden often linked his son's death to seven-month deployment to Iraq in 2008 and 2009.

During a February 2024 call to a Gold Star family who lost a loved one due to a drone strike near Syria, he reportedly said , "My son spent a year in Iraq; that's how I lost him."

"My son Beau, he had been near a burn pit in Baghdad and came down with stage four neuroblastoma, a brain tumor," he added.

During Biden's last State of the Union address in March 2024, after he said, "All Americans deserve to be safe," the father of Lance Col. Kareem Nikoui, who was killed in the 2021 Kabul bombing, called out from the gallery, "Abbey Gate!"

"Second Battalion, First Marines!" he then shouted. Capitol Police then removed him from the chamber.

Fox News reported last August on the third anniversary of the bombing that neither Biden nor then-Vice President Kamala Harris had ever reached out to the Abbey Gate Gold Star families.

The two may not like being reminded of the preventable tragedy that occurred on their watch, but thankfully, Trump and Vance were not willing to let the Gold Star families' sacrifice be forgotten.

Read More

190th Air Refueling Wing supports flood relief mission in Texas

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Airmen from the 190th Air Refueling Wing, Topeka, transported 12 firefighters, four K-9 handlers, and four search and rescue dogs from the Czech Emergency Response Team from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to Texas on July 13.

According to a press release from the 190th Air Refueling Wing, the 190th aircrew, while providing transportation for members on temporary duty, was tasked with the urgent mission of direct support of rescue operations following the catastrophic floods in Texas.

We are part of a classified search and rescue team and our mission is to support the National Guard and those recently affected by the floods in Texas," said Colonel Jaromir Piesch, leader of the Czech Emergency Response Team. "The Texas National Guard has a direct partnership with the Czech Army, and due to the recent natural disaster and more than 160 people still missing in Texas, we were called into this mission because of our specialized experience with K-9 specific search and rescues.

The Czech Army has maintained a strategic partnership with the Texas National Guard since 1993 as part of the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, fostering three decades of joint training and real-world missions.

Notably, this collaboration enabled the Texas Air National Guard to support Czech emergency services by using the MQ-9 Reaper aircraft to conduct aerial damage assessments, an essential capability that helped Czech authorities prioritize recovery efforts and restore critical infrastructure following severe floods in early October 2024.

We have provided similar support to countries like Turkey, Pakistan, and other missions we have been called to across the globe," said Piesch. "Our team is trained in search and rescue, medical stabilization, and aid. The whole team is here to support the K-9 handlers, and we have a reconnaissance team who is prepared to provide extraction of injured people as well.

The operation was coordinated through a combined effort involving the Adjutant General of Texas, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Ramstein Air Base leadership, and the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C. The request came through the National Guard Bureau and utilized the 190th's unique availability and proximity to Germany to execute the mission.

Here we will do our best to help the American people and support the National Guard," said Maj. Jiri Studnicka, member of the Czech Emergency Response Team. "For us, it brings great satisfaction being able to help the National Guard as they have helped in support of our troops. We are very proud to work with them.

The Czech firefighters were flown directly from Ramstein Air Base to Texas aboard the 190th ARW KC-135 Stratotanker, the only National Guard aircraft available and positioned to efficiently and effectively carry out the short-notice mission.

This mission is an example of the National Guard's ability to respond rapidly and support our international partnerships," said Lt. Col. Adam Huntington, Director of Operations for the 117th Air Refueling Squadron. "I'm proud of our entire team, including our operations and support personnel and officers back at Forbes Field, who made this mission possible. Being able to help people devastated by the floods is why serving in the National Guard is so special.

Read More

WHO says Israeli forces attacked its facilities in Gaza and detained staff

The World Health Organization said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah on Monday, endangering humanitarian workers and compromising relief operations in the besieged Palestinian territory.

The UN agency said its staff accommodation was hit three times, causing a fire and significant damage.

"Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot towards Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint," WHO said.

Two agency personnel and two family members were detained during the raid. According to WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , three were later released while one staff member remained in Israeli custody.

"WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its staff," said Dr. Tedros.

A spokesperson for the agency later said the WHO does not know the reasons behind the detention of its staff by the Israeli authorities, and again urged their release.

The UN agency said its main warehouse in Deir al-Balah, located within an Israeli-declared evacuation zone, was damaged in a separate strike on Sunday, triggering explosions and a fire inside the facility.

The Israeli military was still to respond to these allegations by WHO.

The UN agency vowed to continue and expand its operations in the area, a critical center of humanitarian aid distribution during more than 21 months of war.

Deir al-Balah is densely packed with Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombardment and evacuation orders.

Israeli tanks entered the southern and eastern neighborhoods of the city on Monday for the first time since the conflict began.

Tank shelling in the city hit homes and mosques, killing at least three people and injuring several others, according to medics. Gunfire was reportedly heard throughout the day, and thousands of people fled on foot or using donkey carts, eyewitnesses said.

More than 25 countries, including the UK, France, Canada, Japan and Australia, issued a joint statement on Monday urging an immediate end to the war. The signatories criticized Israel's restriction of aid, describing it as "dangerous" and a violation of international humanitarian law.

The denial by the Israeli government of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable," they said. "Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

Israel's foreign ministry rejected the statement, saying it was "disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas."

U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, also rejected the statement from many of Washington's closest allies, denouncing it as "disgusting" in a post on X, and said they should instead pressure the "savages of Hamas."

The broader Israeli attack across Gaza left at least 130 Palestinians dead and over 1,000 injured in the past 24 hours, said Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry on Monday.

The cumulative death toll from Israel's war on the besieged territory exceeded 59,000, with widespread destruction of infrastructure and displacement of people.

Israel launched a ground and air attack on Gaza after nearly 1,200 civilians and soldiers were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The UN's top humanitarian officials have raised the alarm over a collapsing healthcare system and rising malnutrition in Gaza due to the Israeli war and siege, particularly among children.

WHO said Gaza's health sector was "on its knees" amid critical shortages of fuel, medicines, and medical equipment.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that two UN guesthouses were also hit in the latest Israeli strikes, despite all parties being informed of their protected status.

"These locations - as with all civilian sites - must be protected, regardless of evacuation orders," he said.

UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed deep concern over what he called an accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions. "The last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing," he said, according to the spokesman.

The head of the UN humanitarian office in Gaza, Jonathan Whittall, whom Israel said would not have his visa renewed, described the situation as "conditions of death," calling the suffering preventable and "intentional."

"Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and by other humanitarian organizations," he said.

The Independent is the world's most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

Read More

Top U.S. military officer calls for trilateral cooperation amid military buildup by North Korea, China

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Adm. Kim Myung-soo, his U.S. counterpart Gen. Dan Caine, and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Yoshida pose for a photo during their meeting at the JCS headquarters in Seoul on July 10. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]

The top military officer of the United States emphasized the importance of security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan to reestablish deterrence against an "unprecedented" military buildup by North Korea and China.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chief of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), made the remark as he attended a trilateral meeting in Seoul with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Adm. Kim Myung-soo and Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida.

Related Article

• North Korean crosses border into South, taken into custody Thursday: JCS

• Lee calls for "watertight" military readiness during phone talks with JCS chairman

• Ten North Korean troops cross MDL, retreat after South fires warning shots: JCS

Our focus in the United States remains on reestablishing deterrence, and this needs and requires the trilateral cooperation between our three countries," Caine said. "The DPRK and China are undergoing an unprecedented military buildup with a clear and unambiguous intent to move forward with their own agendas.

DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We need to be mindful of that, we need to be able to demonstrate resolve, to be entrepreneurial and proactive in our partnerships, to make sure that our leaders at every echelon understand and trust each other, and to take the best available combat capability and capacity among our three nations so that we can fight tonight, fight together and win together," he said.

Caine noted how their trilateral cooperation has expanded from one focusing solely on North Korean threats to broader security agendas, recalling former U.S. JCS chief Gen. Martin Dempsey's remarks in a 2014 trilateral meeting.

"That afternoon, Gen. Dempsey said in the first Tri-Chod conference, that we're illuminating a future path together, a path where partnerships can evolve through persistent and regular engagement, from building capacity to really sharing responsibility," he said.

"It's on the shoulders of those three that we move forward today into an incredibly delicate chapter in our nations' plural history," Caine said.

South Korea's Kim and Japan's Yoshida echoed the call, urging the need to maintain the momentum of their trilateral cooperation.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Adm. Kim Myung-soo, his U.S. counterpart Gen. Dan Caine, and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Yoshida pose for a photo during their meeting at the JCS' headquarters in Seoul on July 10. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]

"The meeting taking place in South Korea itself demonstrates to the Indo-Pacific region and to the world that security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan is being established in a stable manner," Kim said.

"It is very important to maintain and continuously develop the momentum of the trilateral cooperation at a time when North Korea's nuclear and missile threats are advancing and regional security challenges exist," he said.

Japan's Yoshida called for advancing and institutionalizing trilateral cooperation, and strengthening deterrence against the North by increasing "rock-solid unity" among the three nations.

Friday's meeting is the first Trilateral Chiefs of Defense (Tri-Chod) meeting held in Seoul. Caine's visit marked the first trip to South Korea by the highest-ranking U.S. military officer since his predecessor, CQ Brown, who visited Seoul in November 2023.

The top generals of the three countries held their last Tri-Chod meeting in Tokyo last year, attended by Kim, Brown and Yoshida.

In the meeting, the three military leaders agreed to expand their trilateral multi-domain Freedom Edge exercise and condemned the North's continued nuclear and missile developments and its growing military cooperation with Russia.

Yonhap

Read More

Trump claimed victory against the Houthis in the fight over Red Sea shipping. Now they are sinking tankers again.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have begun attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea again , just two months after Donald Trump claimed victory in an air campaign against the militant group to stop them.

The Iran-backed group captured and sank a Greek-owned bulk carrier named 'Magic Seas' on Tuesday using drones, missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, forcing its 22 crew members to abandon ship.

The Houthis sank another Greek-operated vessel called 'Eternity C' on Wednesday, leaving at least four dead and 15 missing.

The attacks come after months of relative calm in the crucial global shipping route, which followed a fierce bombing campaign by the Trump administration against the Houthis.

Trump launched the bombings in April to stop a wave of attacks by the militant group against Red Sea ships in response to Israel's war in Gaza.

The United States carried out more than 1,100 strikes, killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and spent more than $1 billion over the 52-day campaign, U.S. officials told the New York Times.

But the U.S. military was not able to gain air superiority over the durable rebel group, and the Houthis were still shooting down American drones and firing at naval ships in the Red Sea 30 days into the war.

Trump announced a truce on May 6, claiming the Houthis had "capitulated," but, more importantly, "we will take their word that they say they will not be blowing up ships anymore. And that's what the purpose of what we were doing."

"We hit them very hard and they had a great ability to withstand punishment," he said.

He added that "they gave us their word that they wouldn't be shooting at ships anymore, and we honor that."

That did not prove to be the case.

Even at the time, that result seemed unlikely. The Houthis stopped short of declaring a full ceasefire, said that they would continue to fight against Israel , and claimed victory for themselves.

The group has continued to fire missiles towards Israel, and Israel has carried out extensive strikes against the Houthis, including attacks on three Yemeni ports and a power plant earlier this week .

The Houthis released a slick propaganda video Tuesday showed the attack on Magic Seas. The footage showed masked men taking control of the ship, then chanting the Houthis' slogan: "God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam." The video ends with explosives planted on the ship being detonated, before it sinks beneath the surface.

The renewed attacks raised the possibility that the U.S. may once again be drawn into a fight against the Houthis, who have proven remarkably resilient to airstrikes over the years.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that the attacks "demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security."

"The United States has been clear: We will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks," she added.

The Houthis' fight with Israel is part of a much wider regional war that was sparked by a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. When Israel bombarded Gaza in response, the Houthis joined the fight on the side of Hamas, firing drones and missiles towards Israel.

The group then widened its attacks to target shipping in the Red Sea, attacking more than 100 ships from November 2023 to December 2024, and promising to end only when Israel ends its war in Gaza, which has now killed more than 55,000 people, mostly civilians.

Former president Joe Biden, Trump's predecessor, launched airstrikes against Yemen on January 10, 2024, "in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea."

Those strikes failed to deter the Houthis, and the attacks only stopped when a ceasefire was brokered between Israel and Hamas in January.

The Houthis resumed their attacks when Israel imposed a blockade on food and aid entering Gaza in March , which prompted Trump to launch his own campaign to stop the group.

Announcing the strikes on March 15, Trump said the Houthis had "waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones."

"We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective," he wrote on Truth Social, later adding that the campaign was aimed at targeting Houthi leaders and officials.

Trump's involvement in Yemen drew criticism from his own supporters , who argue it contradicts his promises to end "endless wars" and his "America First" campaign slogan.

The Independent is the world's most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

Read More

Rosen, Cortez Masto introduce bill for veterans exposed to toxins in Nevada

WASHINGTON DC (KOLO) - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen have introduced a bill seeking to support veterans exposed to radiation and toxins while serving in Nevada.

The bill would apply to servicemembers who served at classified locations within the Nevada Test and Training Range since 1951.

Rosen says that between the 1950s and the 1990s, the NTTR hosted more than 900 nuclear weapons tests, as well as other dangerous toxic activities.

Due to the classified nature of the areas these veterans served in, affected veterans are unable to prove service to the VA, and are therefore unable to receive care and benefits connected to exposure to radiation and toxins from burn pits.

The FORGOTTEN Veterans Act would recognize these veterans and would:

• Classify the Nevada Test and Training Range as contaminated.
• Require the Department of Defense (DOD) to document all exposures, including those that occur domestically, into the servicemember's Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record, so it can be seen by the VA when servicemembers transition to civilian life, while still protecting the classified nature of the location of their service.
• Require the Secretary of the Air Force to identify all those who served within the NTTR since January 27, 1951, establish a process for servicemembers and veterans to provide proof of their assignment within the NTTR, and make all efforts to identify individuals, without requiring them to submit evidence of their stationing.
• Establish a presumption of toxic exposure for DOD personnel who served at any Department of Energy (DOE) Covered Facilities – such as those within the NTTR – where DOE employees have a presumption of exposure and are covered under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act . One such DOE-covered facility within the NTTR is the Tonopah Test Range, which is both a DOE and DOD installation.
• Add service at military installations within the NTTR to the list of recognized "radiation-risk activities" under VA law, dating back to January 27, 1951, including veterans who participated in the development, construction, operation, or maintenance of military installations at NTTR—beyond just nuclear test observers.
• Establish a presumption of toxic exposure for veterans who served on or above NTTR, reducing the burden of proof in VA claims.
• Expand presumptive conditions for service connection by adding lipomas and tumor-related conditions to the list of automatically presumed service-connected illnesses.

Veterans have been exposed to radiation and toxic chemicals as a result of their selfless service to our nation, and the least we can do is ensure they get the treatment they need," said Senator Rosen. "I'm introducing this bill to recognize the radiation and toxic exposure experienced at the Nevada Test and Training Range so our veterans can access the care and benefits they deserve. It is unconscionable that one U.S. government agency deems portions of the range as contaminated and their personnel exposed, while another U.S. government agency does not. I'll continue working to make sure we take care of our veterans and their loved ones.

As a nation, it is our obligation to take care of all veterans once their service has ended," said Senator Cortez Masto. "This is especially true for veterans of the Nevada Test and Training Range, who faced toxic exposure daily as part of their duties and should have parity with their civilian counterparts. I will continue to push for these brave men and women to receive the care and benefits they're due.

Read More

Donald Trump caught "flat-footed" by Pentagon's Ukraine weapons pause

President Donald Trump has ordered the resumption of U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine after being caught "flat-footed" by a Pentagon The decision to pause deliveries of key munitions, three people familiar with the internal discussions told the Associated Press.

Last week, the Pentagon announced it would temporarily withhold shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS rockets, Hellfire missiles, Howitzer rounds, and other defensive aid due to concerns over diminishing U.S. stockpiles. The pause came at a particularly vulnerable time for Ukraine, which is facing intensified air assaults by Russia in the war's fourth year.

The move blindsided the White House and reportedly frustrated the president, sources told AP.

But the pause was not universally embraced within the Pentagon. Two individuals with knowledge of the matter said there was internal opposition to the decision, which was coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby. One of them said Trump had not been informed in advance and was blindsided by the announcement.

The reversal came quickly. On Monday night, Trump publicly acknowledged Ukraine's urgent need for assistance, saying: "They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now."

The president's frustration seemed to spill into public view on Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting. When CNN Kaitlan Collins asked who approved the pause, and Trump responded curtly: 'I don't know. Why don't you tell me?'

As of Tuesday, the Pentagon had not commented on whether the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had consulted with the White House prior to last week's pause, or on the exact timeline for resumed deliveries.

Pentagon Hurries to Resume Shipments

By late Monday, the Pentagon confirmed that, at Trump's direction, it would resume the weapons shipments. "This ensures the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops," said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. He added that a broader review of U.S. global military aid remains underway as part of the president's "America First" priorities.

It remains unclear which specific weapons will now be included in the resumed shipments, although Trump said assistance would focus primarily on defensive systems.

Behind the scenes, Pentagon officials continued to assess stockpile s. A U.S. official familiar with the process said that each military service and combatant command—the regional hubs overseeing U.S. operations worldwide—was still submitting data to Pentagon leadership on Tuesday. "They are literally still doing the math," the official said.

That data was compiled using a "stoplight" chart — color-coded red, yellow, or green — to indicate ammunition availability. An earlier version of the chart from the week prior had already shown certain munitions were reaching critically low levels.

Getting accurate counts has been complicated by overlapping jurisdiction. For example, Patriot missiles are tracked by the Army, but when they are reassigned to combatant commands like U.S. Central Command, tracking them becomes difficult. Army spokesman Steve Warren confirmed those challenges, saying that increasing Patriot missile production has been "difficult."

Warren also acknowledged that the Army's effort to increase production of 155mm artillery shells is falling behind schedule. The service originally aimed to reach 100,000 shells per month by the end of 2025, but that goal has now been pushed back to 2026.

Trump Sharpens Tone towards Putin

Talks between Moscow and Kyiv have been stalled for months.

In addition to recalibrating his approach to weapons aid, Trump also adopted a sharper tone against Russian President. Vladimir Putin during the Cabinet meeting. The two leaders spoke by phone last week, but Trump appears increasingly frustrated.

"We get a lot of bull--- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," Trump said. He is very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.

Trump has threatened economic measures aimed at pressuring Putin to return to peace talks. The bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, in the Senate , has 80 cosponsors and is gaining significant support from both sides of the aisle.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said last week that Trump has endorsed his legislative push for a 500% tariff on goods from countries that continue to purchase Russian oil. If enacted, the measure would significantly impact nations like China and India, which have become major buyers of Russian crude. Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he's "looking at it very strongly."

Lawmakers Respond to Trump's Reversal

The Pentagon's abrupt pause and the equally swift reversal caught not just allies and Ukrainian officials off guard, but also several members of Congress .

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , a Republican from Kentucky, issued a statement supporting the resumed aid but called for a more resolute stance. "This time, the President will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his Administration to limit these deliveries to defensive weapons," McConnell said. "And he should disregard those at DoD who invoke munitions shortages to block aid while refusing to invest seriously in expanding munitions production."

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.

Related Articles

• What US Arms Export Review Means for Its Allies
• Trump Administration Sending Hundreds of Marines to Florida to Help ICE
• Ukraine Braces for Impact of U.S. Weapons Pause
• Dan Caine Reveals Pilot's Words on Seeing the Iran Strike Explosion

Start your unlimited news real time trial

Read More

Trump caught off guard by Pentagon's abrupt move to pause Ukraine weapons deliveries, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's decision to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week - a move that he felt was not properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The Pentagon, which announced last week that it would hold back some air defense missiles , precision-guided artillery and other weapons pledged to Ukraine because of what U.S. officials said were concerns about American stockpiles were in short supply. Trump said Monday that the U.S. will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, effectively reversing the move.

Two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive internal discussions, said there was some internal opposition among Pentagon officials to the pause — coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby — before it was announced.

One of the people described Trump as being caught "flat-footed" by the announcement. The White House did not respond to queries about whether Trump was surprised by the Pentagon pause.

The pause in critical weapons deliveries had come at a difficult moment for Ukraine , which has faced increasingly complex air barrages from Russia during the more than three-year-old war. Trump acknowledged this when announcing the reversal on Monday night, saying, "They have to be able to defend themselves. They are being hit very hard now."

Asked by a reporter on Tuesday who approved the pause, Trump bristled at the question while he was gathered with his Cabinet. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

Trump's change in tone towards Putin

The president also attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin , suggesting that he was unnecessarily prolonging the war that Trump has said he is determined to quickly conclude. Trump has struggled to find a resolution, with talks between the sides stalled .

The Republican leader has sounded increasingly exasperated with Putin in recent days. The two spoke by phone last week.

We get a lot of bull---- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," Trump said during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. "He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.

He has threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia's oil industry in an attempt to push Putin toward peace talks.

Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., said last week that Trump has given him the go-ahead to proceed with a bill he is co-sponsoring that calls, in part, for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil. The move would have huge ramifications for China and India, two economic powerhouses that buy Russian oil.

Trump said Tuesday that he's "looking at it very strongly."

Pentagon says it is going to resume shipments to Ukraine

The weapons pause announced last week affected shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds and more, taking not only Ukrainian officials and others allies by surprise but also U.S. lawmakers and other parts of the Trump administration, including the State Department.

The Pentagon said late Monday that, at Trump's direction, it would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine "to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops." Still, spokesman Sean Parnell added that its review for Trump to evaluate military shipments worldwide continues as part of "America First" defense priorities.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth consulted with the White House prior to pausing weapons shipments and whether or not those shipments have now resumed.

It's also unclear which weaponry would now be sent, though Trump said that the U.S. will primarily be assisting Ukraine with defensive weapons.

Counting the weapons

On Tuesday, each of the services and the combatant commands — the multiservice organizations that spearhead U.S. military operations around the world — were still sending up information on their stockpiles of specific munitions to Pentagon leadership, a U.S. official said.

"They are literally still doing the math," the official said.

The information was being presented on a stoplight chart — where munitions were either in a red, yellow or green status, similar to slides that had been created the week before, the official said. That earlier study had concluded that some munitions were OK to keep sending to Ukraine — but others were reaching concerning levels.

Getting a full visibility on the numbers of actual munitions on hand takes time, the official said, because while Patriot missiles, for example, initially belong to the Army, once they are requested and sent to a combatant command, such as U.S. Central Command, the service loses visibility on those numbers in inventory.

The vast majority of the munitions and weapons the U.S. has shipped to Ukraine have been pulled from the Army, which has closely monitored levels in recent years, particularly for high-demand items like 155mm artillery shells and Patriot missiles for air defenses.

It has been harder for the Army to ramp up production on those items than had been planned: It was trying to hit a goal of producing 100,000 155mm shells a month by the end of 2025 but won't meet that goal until 2026, Army spokesman Steve Warren said.

Ramping up Patriot missile production has also been challenging, Warren said.

Sen. Mitch McConnell , R-Ky., said in a statement on Tuesday that he was glad Trump was resuming deliveries to Ukraine.

This time, the President will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his Administration to limit these deliveries to defensive weapons," McConnell said. "And he should disregard those at DoD who invoke munitions shortages to block aid while refusing to invest seriously in expanding munitions production.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Read More

The US military's attempt to retain strategic land for training encounters opposition from Native Hawaiians.

HONOLULU (AP) — A high-altitude plateau on the Big Island is the only place in Hawaii where thousands of ground forces can practice firing live munitions. It's also a place many Native Hawaiians consider the spiritual heart of the island.

The U.S. military wants to continue training at this location, called Pohakuloa, so it remains prepared to rapidly deploy troops to Asia and the Pacific. Its significance to the U.S. is only increasing as China becomes more assertive, especially concerning Taiwan.

But the Army's lease for state lands beneath a key part of the training range expires in 2029. Native Hawaiians upset with the U.S. military's history of damaging Hawaiian lands with target practice and fuel leaks want the Army out.

“They have bombed and contaminated not just our land but our waters,” said Healani Sonoda-Pale, a community organizer with the Hawaiian sovereignty group Ka Lahui Hawaii. “When does this end?”

A problematic history

The military controls about 5% of Hawaii's land, including bases for all branches. It has programs and staff to protect endangered and threatened species, prevent fires, and plant native plants.

But past incidents have made many Native Hawaiians skeptical.

The Navy turned the island of Kahoolawe, off Maui, into a bombing range after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The Navy returned it in 1994 after years of protests. But subsequent cleanup efforts have been incomplete. Live grenades and bombs remain scattered across a quarter of the island.

Memories are still fresh from when the Navy spilled jet fuel into Pearl Harbor's drinking water from a network of underground fuel storage tanks and pipes in 2021. The leak prompted 6,000 people to seek medical care for rashes, nausea, and other ailments and contaminated a Honolulu aquifer. The disaster occurred after admirals spent years dismissing community calls to move the tanks. On Tuesday, Honolulu's Water utility sues Navy seeking to recover an estimated $1.2 billion that it has had to spend as a result of the spill.

Also on Oahu, environmental advocates say Army live-fire training in Makua Valley que provocó incendios forestales y destruyó tierras boscosas nativas y sitios culturales sagrados. Un acuerdo legal detuvo dichos entrenamientos en 2004.

The cultural significance of Pohakuloa

Pohakuloa consists of rocky plains, hills, and brush about 6,200 feet (1,900 meters) above sea level between the Big Island's tallest volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. It hosts endangered species including the Hawaiian catchfly shrub.

Early Hawaiians traveled across the plateau to access a Mauna Kea quarry that provided high-quality basalt for making stone tools and to move between coastal settlements.

In 2022, Army staff discovered ancient wooden "kii," or figures, in a lava tube, an underground passageway created by molten rock. Consultants said the figures are from human burials, and state preservationists say they're among Hawaii's most significant archaeological finds.

Pohakuloa Training Area spans more than 200 square miles (518 square kilometers). The section in question is only 17% of that total, but it's critically located in between two larger federal parcels. Troops fire munitions from the state-owned parcel onto federal lands.

The land's importance for training and deterrence

Other live-fire training areas in Hawaii are too small to accommodate battalions and brigades.

Commanders say it would take too long to send troops, trucks, and helicopters to the U.S. mainland for drills.

“What we anticipate in a future fight is that we will not have the time to recover that equipment and to position ourselves back into the region,” said Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees, U.S. Army Pacific chief of staff.

Pohakuloa training, he said, allows troops to "move from Hawaii into the Indo-Pacific, into key terrain, to be prepared to meet our adversaries, or more importantly, to deter them."

The Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force conduct exercises there, as do allied and partner militaries. The Hawaii National Guard accounts for one-quarter of Pohakuloa's training. County fire and police departments also use the area.

Negotiations to exchange land

The Army prepared an environmental impact statement, including public feedback, that analyzed how the military's continued use of the land would affect plants, animals, and cultural heritage.

On May 9, the state land board rejected it after hearing hours of often emotional testimony in opposition. Among other issues, the board cited inadequate inventory of unexploded ordnance and insufficient inventory of ancient burials and associated artifacts.

The Army is considering whether to appeal. It could also negotiate a land exchange with the state instead.

Such talks cannot begin until the Army finalizes its environmental study with a decision regarding its plans. The defense secretary's office must then approve the acquisition of land.

Alice Roberts, U.S. Army Pacific's program manager for training land retention, said the service has had some informal conversations, including trying to understand the state's swap criteria.

Buying the land would be "a big hurdle" for the Army, she said, because two-thirds of the state House and Senate would need to approve such a transaction.

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, a Democrat, said the Army must double down on being good stewards and make up for the military's past mistakes.

Tokuda wants the military to help increase Hawaii's housing supply, noting that service members occupy 14% of Oahu's housing stock and that high housing costs are driving residents out She said it could bolster Hawaii's water and sewer infrastructure.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green suggested in an interview with Hawaii News Now that the military could take the land through eminent domain, but Tokuda said she hasn't heard anyone in the military or President Donald Trump's administration mention that.

A call for a cleanup

Kaiali'i Kahele, the chairperson of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which advocates for Native Hawaiians, wants to see what federal lands the Army would offer. He wants to know whether it would be willing to reduce the impact of its training, and what sort of clean up and community benefits it would provide.

“We have to get to a point where you do training and then you clean up your mess,” said Kahele, a former congressman who served more than 20 years in the Hawaii Air National Guard and is now in the Air Force Reserve.

"That should be the model of training that respects 'aina, respects this place and its culture and its people," he said, using the Hawaiian word for land.

Read More

Veterans and civilians bond over beers and bluegrass at Nashville's American Legion Post 82

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Matthew "Moose" Musquiz was working as a diesel mechanic in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, when his physical therapist told him about a bar in Nashville, Tennessee, that he might like.

Musquiz loves the Texas dance hall style of venues popular there, but he hadn't really found a good one in Nashville, which is about an hour south of the U.S. Army installation.

"He told me, 'Tuesday night at the American Legion Post 82 "is kind of like a dance hall," said Musquiz.

In a dimly lit cinderblock building tucked away off a busy street in the Inglewood neighborhood, locals learn to two-step to country music, and veterans from different wars trade insults and advice.

Over beers and bluegrass, the American Legion Post 82 breaks down barriers between veterans and civilians and provides a sense of community for those who served. Post 82 has gained a reputation for hosting big-name acts on its tiny stage, which puts a spotlight on the veterans' service organization.

"It's really unique because it's such a blend of everybody: veterans, community members, and even travelers passing through who just heard a good word about this place," said Musquiz, a post member.

Big names on a small stage

Grammy-winning producer and rocker Jack White played the tiny stage to raise money for a new sound system for the post. Bluegrass artist Billy Strings, who can sell out arenas, recorded a live album at Post 82 with acclaimed bluegrass musician Bryan Sutton. It was at Post 82 where Americana artist Sierra Ferrell, now a four-time Grammy winner, was performing with the house band when she was discovered and later signed by a record label.

"We really lean into the music as a mechanism to draw people here," said Shannon Rasmussen, the post adjutant.

At the same time, the volunteer veterans who run the post ensure the true mission hasn't gotten lost in the attention on the celebrities who spend time there. The post's nonmusical activities in the community range from various veterans services, sponsoring kids' sports leagues, and a youth program that teaches kids about government. Wreath laying at veterans' cemeteries and serving as the color guard for sporting events are also among the activities. Nonveterans can attend shows and have drinks at the American Legion, although membership is for veterans only.

"It has this cool second and third order effect where people out in the community get to learn more about military service and what it's all about," said Rasmussen.

Helmets, patches, and flags fill the walls

Where much of "new" Nashville caters to tourists, Post 82 feels like a step back in time. The classic country and bluegrass music coming from the venue is not the type typically found among the artist-themed bars along Broadway in downtown Nashville. Military mementos decorate the post, including helmets, framed folded American flags, dozens of patches from military units pinned on a wall, and framed photos of members in their uniforms. The stage's backdrop is a string of lights arranged in the shape of an American flag.

Tuesdays are one of the more popular nights at the Legion. One recent Tuesday afternoon, the color guard practiced its formation on the dance floor, stepping together with ceremonial rifles to present the flag for upcoming events they had booked. An hour later, dance instructors taught couples the basics of two-step dancing, as they twirled each other around in circles. The night continued with country and rockabilly music from Matt McMurry, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and the band the Tennessee Roundups.

August Wagner, a former Army scout and member of the color guard, has observed the post's leadership and membership adapting to increasing attention and noted that younger veterans are becoming more involved. They also continue the military tradition of playfully hazing each other's branch or service.

I call it the island of misfit toys for a reason," said Wagner. "It's just everybody and anybody. It could be Navy, Army, whatever, but we all give each other equal crap. You gain family members every day.

Volunteer veterans reach out to others

Only the bar staff gets paid to work at Post 82, and everyone else volunteers their time, whether it's on a day they might be having a turkey shoot, a clothes drive, or a potluck dinner to watch the Army versus Navy football game.

"So when a country star rents the building to shoot a music video or hold an album release party, the proceeds help them pay the bartenders and fund the veterans and community service projects," said Rasmussen.

"Every bit of it, after we've covered our overhead, leaves the building again," she said.

A sign sets the tone for patrons: "Please, no politics at the bar!" For Wagner, that means everyone is treated equally at Post 82, regardless of their final rank or whether they are a famous musician.

Jenny Kuhl, a 27-year-old artist manager in Nashville, visited Post 82 with some of her friends in the music industry on Tuesday nights and found it to be a more authentic scene compared to other venues in town.

"I've gotten to meet some really wonderful people who I probably never would have met otherwise, and I really like that part about this place," said Kuhl, who spent a recent Tuesday at the Legion dancing to the Tennessee Roundups.

Rasmussen wants the American Legion to be a place for veterans, like a church or a barbershop, where someone would notice if they didn't show up regularly.

If there’s a member that hasn’t been in for a week or two and we haven’t seen them, we start asking around to see if anybody else has seen them," said Rasmussen. "And if nobody has seen them, then we reach out.

Jason Williams retired from the Army at the beginning of the year after 28 years and is the first vice commander at the post. Regardless of how Post 82 gets veterans to come through the doors, whether it's the music or the services, Williams said they'd find a supportive space.

Transition to the civilian side is difficult," said Williams. "The one thing I can say is that this place has been pretty much a soft place to land.

Read More

Hundreds of National Guard forces in L.A. could be returned to wildfire duty

A military commander has discussed shifting some California National Guard troops away from the Trump administration's weekslong deployment to deal with protests in Los Angeles so they can help fight wildfires, two U.S. officials told CBS News.

Gen. Gregory Guillot, the leader of U.S. Northern Command, made the request to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, proposing that 200 out of roughly 4,000 California National Guard members be returned to wildfire duty in California.

The request to shift some troops to wildfire duty was first reported by The Associated Press .

The purpose of the possible move is to help prepare for wildfire season, one U.S. official said. The other official said the 200 Guard members could be returned to the California National Guard and placed on standby to respond to wildfires.

Wildfires can occur at any time of year in California, but they typically peak during the summer and fall. The state expects an "early and active season" this year, with above-average activity in July and August, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

The Los Angeles deployment has been controversial and subject to legal challenges. President Trump called up around 4,000 Guard members — and deployed around 700 Marines — over California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections, moves Mr. Trump argued were necessary to protect federal buildings and immigration agents from chaotic protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Newsom argued the deployment was illegal and unnecessary.

When Mr. Trump initially called up the California National Guard to deal with protests, the state had warned the move could interfere with its wildfire response. Guard forces often work alongside Cal Fire crews — and as wildfires become more frequent and severe, state officials has said more resources are needed. Newsom's office said last week the Guard's firefighting force was only at 40% capacity due to the Los Angeles deployment.

"This deployment comes when California is in the midst of peak wildfire season for both Northern and Southern California and may need to rely on their crucial support," the state of California wrote in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the deployment.

A federal district court judge initially sided with the state in its lawsuit, but a panel of appellate court judges paused that ruling, allowing Mr. Trump to maintain control of the Guard.

The troops were shifted to federal service earlier this month under a law known as Title 10 , which allows the president to mobilize National Guard forces during a "rebellion" or if "the president is unable with the regular forces to enforce the laws of the United States." The Trump administration argued that these conditions were satisfied due to threats of violence against immigration agents who conducted arrests in the Los Angeles area.

Newsom objected to the move, and the state quickly filed a lawsuit calling it a "power grab." The state argued that under the law cited by the administration, Mr. Trump does not have the legal authority to call up the Guard without permission from the governor.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ultimately sided with the Trump administration, allowing troops to remain in Los Angeles while the state's lawsuit is heard. The court wrote that Mr. Trump most likely "lawfully exercised his statutory authority" to federalize the Guard, and that the law "does not give governors any veto power."

Read More

The Sahel's juntas face a series of crises.

In Mali, General Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a 2020 coup, now plans to remain in power through at least the end of this decade, as do his counterparts in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. As long-ruling juntas consolidate power in national capitals, much of the Sahelian terrain remains outside government control.

Recent attacks on government security forces in Djibo (Burkina Faso), Timbuktu (Mali), and Eknewane (Niger) have all highlighted the severity of the insecurity. The Sahelian governments face a significant threat from jihadist forces belonging to two organizations: Jama‘at Nusrat al-Islam wa-l-Muslimin (the Group for Supporting Islam and Muslims, JNIM, which is part of al-Qaida) and the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP). Additionally, the Sahelian governments also face conventional rebel challengers and interact, sometimes cooperatively and sometimes tensely, with various vigilante and community-based armed groups.

The roots of instability in the Sahel extend both to specific crises in the 2010s (especially a rebellion in northern Mali in 2012) and to broader, systemic issues related to land use, resource competition, poverty, official corruption, the spread of jihadist mobilization through a chain of socially combustible zones, and citizens' loss of faith in institutions. Government responses largely fueled insurgencies, as security forces committed abuses and collective punishment, and as civilian leaders pursued inconsistent and often tone-deaf policies.

Foreign intervention also exacerbated the situation. France, the European Union, and the United States pursued a narrowly security-focused policy framework that failed to reverse the escalation of violence in the 2010s and collapsed upon encountering the coups of the early 2020s. Russia, the new preferred partner for central Sahelian regimes, introduced an even more brutal level of violence, yet yielded no concrete benefits for national governments other than the Malian authorities’ triumphant but ultimately isolated victory in Kidal, a northern rebel stronghold. The jihadists, who welcome having a foreign adversary, have largely replaced the French with the Russians in their propaganda and targeting.

As the juntas have struggled on the battlefield, they have hollowed out their countries' politics, subverting decades of fragile but meaningful democratic experiences. Political parties have been banned, journalists arrested, critics conscripted, and associations dissolved. There are a few niches of resistance remaining, particularly labor unions, but those have largely challenged the juntas on a sector-by-sector basis over issues connected to pay and conditions; unlike in 1991 in Mali or 2014 in Burkina Faso, broader revolutions involving multi-sector coalitions have not coalesced. In fact, although it is difficult to measure given the lack of regular and reliable polling as well as the near absence now of investigative journalism, the juntas appear to enjoy substantial popularity. Military men have made invigorating promises about restoring security, championing national sovereignty, revitalizing economies, and bringing people dignity. Even as those promises remain unfulfilled, the message is clearly thrilling to a wide domestic audience.

Western governments are still adrift on Sahel policy. In Europe, expectations for how much influence governments can wield over the Sahel, bilaterally and collectively, have been tempered by the rebukes the Sahelian juntas have issued over the past five years. Ambitions to rebuild influence persist, and the most thoughtful suggestions This involves pursuing "a pragmatic course that reconciles [Europe's] interests and diplomatic priorities with political realities on the ground." Yet there are few genuinely new ideas emerging in Europe, as concerns about migration control and insecurity lead policymakers and analysts back to a familiar set of options including security assistance and development partnerships.

In the United States, intermittent concern about the Sahel under the Biden administration has given way to relative indifference under the Trump administration. Both under Biden and Trump, meanwhile, there was greater concern about the potential for (and to some extent, reality of) spillover from the Sahel into coastal West Africa than there was concern about the Sahel itself. Tellingly, U.S. Africa Command hosted the April/May 2025 edition of its annual Flintlock training exercise in Cote d'Ivoire , and periodic reports suggest that AFRICOM is exploring the possibility of basing drones there (after the government of Niger expelled U.S. personnel in 2024). AFRICOM, however, could ultimately be cut amid the Trump administration's ongoing restructurings.

To some extent, Western policy toward the Sahel is inadvertently replicating some long-discarded ideas about Somalia policy. In a refreshing set of analyses around 2009–2010, Bronwyn Bruton advocated what she called "constructive disengagement" from Somalia — a pause in perennial American and Western efforts to shape the politics and security landscape of that long-troubled country. Most of Bruton's suggestions were specific to Somalia and its Islamist Shabaab insurgency at that time, but some of them offer intriguing glimpses of what an alternative approach to the Sahel could look like.

In one report , Bruton wrote, "The United States and its partners can encourage the pragmatic, nationalist, and opportunistic elements of the Shabaab to break with their radical partners by adopting a position of neutrality toward all local political groupings and by signaling a willingness to coexist with any Islamist authority that emerges, as long as it refrains from acts of regional aggression, rejects global jihadi ambitions, and tolerates the activities of Western humanitarian relief agencies in Somalia."

This approach still sounds radical today, but it is effectively what has happened in Syria since late 2024. The U.S. should in no way cheer on a JNIM victory, but the U.S. should consider a range of options in case such a scenario transpires.

Bruton also recommended, meanwhile, that "new development initiatives...should be pursued in a decentralized fashion that involves collaboration with the informal and traditional authorities that are already in place on the ground – without attempting to formalize or empower them."

Here she was referring largely to the regional governments and would-be governments that existed (and still exist) in a fractured Somalia, a very different landscape than the Sahel’s current political map. But the underlying principle has appeal for the Sahel: the U.S. and Europe would do better to pursue development for development's sake in the Sahel, rather than trying to tie development to quixotic projects of reshaping society or steering national governments. Bruton's (unheeded) mix of recommendations for Somalia is not a blueprint for the Sahel some 15 years later, but her ideas point to ways that the menu of options could be expanded beyond what sometimes appears to be Western governments' search for a return to a modified status quo ante.

The Sahel appears poised to remain both politically frozen and deeply volatile through 2030, and if disruptions to that trajectory arrive, the easiest disruptions to imagine are ones for the worse, including further coups, the fall of major cities to jihadists, and/or mass famines. To the extent that Western governments seek to re-engage, it should be with a realization that the 2010s are not coming back, that the juntas have a do-or-die mentality, and that some fresh thinking is required.

This story originally appeared on Responsible Statecraft

• Washington's military-first approach is bearing rotten fruit in the Sahel
• It's time for a new Sahel strategy

Like our content? Follow us for more.

Read More

Iran holds funerals for commanders and scientists killed in conflict with Israel

(newsrealtime) -Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined the streets in Iran's capital, Tehran, as the country held a funeral on Saturday for top military commanders, nuclear scientists, and some of the civilians killed during this month's aerial war with Israel.

At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Their coffins, bearing their photos and national flags, were driven into Tehran's Azadi Square as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.

Later, mass prayers were held in the square.

State TV said the funeral, dubbed the "procession of the Martyrs of Power," was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.

In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei's son Mojtaba.

"Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.

There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.

Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians, marking the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.

Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure, and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

TRUMP THREATENS

Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

Iran denies having a nuclear weapons programme. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it has "no credible indication" of an active, coordinated weapons programme in Iran.

Bagheri, Salami, and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was being buried at the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran mid-afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were due to be buried on Sunday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again, while Khamenei, who has appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, has said Iran would respond to any future U.S. attack by striking U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had delivered a "major blow" to Iran's nuclear project. On Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Israel and the U.S. "failed to achieve their stated objectives" in the war.

According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. More than 4,700 were injured.

The activist news agency HRANA put the number of those killed at 974, including 387 civilians.

Israel's health ministry said 28 were killed in Israel and 3,238 were injured.

(dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; Editing by Aidan Lewis)

Read More

Donald Trump wins Iran war powers victory

The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Friday rejected a Democratic effort to limit President Donald Trump authority to launch further military action against Iran—just hours after Trump said he was weighing additional airstrikes.

The chamber voted 53–47 against the war powers resolution, which would have required the president to seek congressional approval for any new hostilities against Iran. Every senator cast a vote, but the tally remained open late into the evening.

In a notable split, Democrat John Fetterman broke with his party to vote "no," while Republican Rand Paul crossed the aisle to vote "yes."

Why It Matters

The vote came days after Trump ordered airstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, escalating tensions amid Iran's conflict with Israel. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at a U.S. military Based in Qatar on Monday.

Although Tehran and Tel Aviv agreed to a ceasefire on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces have since accused Iran of breaching that agreement and have threatened strikes on Tehran in response—an accusation Iran's military denies.

The Senate's decision marks a clear victory for the White House and shows how much latitude both Republicans and some Democrats are willing to let Trump take unilateral military action against Iran.

What To Know

The measure, sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia would have invoked the War Powers Act—the 1973 law designed to limit a president's authority to enter armed conflicts without congressional consent. It would have required the White House to notify lawmakers and secure approval from both the House and Senate before U.S. forces could take any additional military action against Iran.

Many Democrats, and even some Republicans, argued that the White House should have sought congressional approval before authorizing last weekend's strike. They point out that the Constitution gives Congress --not the president--the power to declare war, and say the War Powers Act exists to stop presidents from sidestepping that responsibility.

Under the Constitution, war powers are divided but not always clearly defined. Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power "to declare war," "raise and support armies," "provide and maintain a navy," and "make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces." This means Congress has the explicit authority to decide when the U.S. goes to war. But the last time Congress formally declared war was World War II. Since then, military actions—from Korea and Vietnam to Iraq, Libya, and Syria—have typically been carried out under broad authorizations, U.N. resolutions, or purely at the president's discretion.

At the same time, Article II, Section 2 names the president as "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States." This gives the president broad authority to direct the military once it is in action.

In 1973, after the Vietnam War, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution to rein in presidential war-making. It requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and limits such deployments to 60 days—with a 30-day withdrawal period—unless Congress explicitly approves or declares war. Still, presidents of both parties have often argued that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional, or they've simply ignored its requirements.

During his first term, Trump twice vetoed measures passed under the War Powers Act, including one aimed specifically at restricting his ability to strike Iran. Congress wrestled with similar questions in 2011, when President Obama Barack Obama ordered airstrikes on Libya without explicit approval, drawing criticism that he had exceeded his authority.

This time, the Trump administration has enjoyed strong backing from Republican leaders on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Mike Johnson The text is already in English and does not require translation. Therefore, the output should be:

But some Republicans disagree. Senator Rand Paul cited the framers' original intent to keep war-making powers in the hands of Congress. "Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers that the executive is the branch most prone to war. Therefore, the Constitution, with studied care, vested that power in the legislature," Paul said, explaining his rare break with his party.

In turn, the Trump administration argues that the president already possesses all the authority he needs. In a letter to Congress this week, Trump invoked his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief and his responsibility for foreign policy, framing the Iran strike as an act of "collective self-defense of our ally, Israel."

What People Are Saying

Republican Senator John Barrasso said on the Senate floor: "Democrats, of course, rushed to turn this successful strike into a political fight. National security moves fast. That's why our Constitution says: 'Give the commander in chief real authority.'"

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen What would we have said if Iran or any other country had flown bombers over our country and struck our facilities? We would rightly call it what it was: an act of war.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine War is too big an issue to leave to the moods and the whims and the daily vibes of any one person.

What Happens Next

Efforts to rein in Trump's military powers are also underway in the House, where similar measures have been introduced, but they face uncertain prospects in a Republican-led chamber unlikely to defy the White House.

Related Articles

• Donald Trump Suffers Major Legal Blow: 'Grave Constitutional Violations'
• Exclusive: Democrat on How Trump's Tariffs Could Reshape Key Iowa Race
• Republican to Retire as Democrats Eye Potential House Seat: Reports
• Elon Musk Staffer 'Big Balls' Joining Social Security Administration

Start your unlimited news real time trial

Read More

Winners and losers of the "12-day war" following Iran and Israel's agreement on a ceasefire

A tentative ceasefire between Israel and Iran had gone into effect in what should go down in history as the "12 Day War," according to President Donald Trump who emerges as one of the winners from the conflict while other political figures appear diminished.

The agreement remains fragile, with Trump accusing both nations of violating the ceasefire just a few hours after it came into effect. If the ceasefire does hold, then experts tell newsrealtime that Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu is a big winner from the conflict, while Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a big loser.

Emmanuel Navan , a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told newsrealtime Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make the most of the political capital from Operation Rising Lion.

"I have been very critical of Netanyahu in the past, but what he's pulled off is absolutely fantastic," he said Tuesday.

Nazenin Ansari, managing editor of Kayhan London, a Persian-language digital newspaper, and Kayhan Life, an English-language digital publication, told newsrealtime Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "has been effectively de-fanged."

While the region is on tenterhooks over whether any peace can hold, newsrealtime Examines some of the early winners and losers of the conflict.

Donald Trump - Winner

Trump had history in mind when he said the ceasefire plan his administration proposed to Israel and Iran had ended the "12 Day War." This was a nod to the 1967 conflict also known as the "Six Day War," in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.

Trump's announcement came after concerns about how Iran might respond to American bunker-busting bombs that the U.S. president said had destroyed the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites on Saturday.

Trump had previously said he would wait two weeks, and the surprise strikes showed that at least initially, he was able to order an attack without immediate escalation, giving him bragging rights for a ceasefire.

Trump went out of his way to signal that Saturday's U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were a targeted, one-off campaign, not the beginning of a broader effort to topple the regime, Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East program at the think tank Defense Priorities, told NewsRealTime.

"Iran seems to have taken that off-ramp and responded with an expected and telegraphed counterattack," she said, referring to Monday's strikes by Iran on a U.S. military Qatar site.

Kelanic said that Tehran's decision to limit its retaliation and de-escalate the crisis was rational given the overwhelming U.S. strength and Iranian weakness. "It is also welcome news that President Trump refocused his efforts on peace, not only between the U.S. and Iran, but also between Israel and Iran," she added.

Benjamin Netanyahu - Winner

The launch of Operation Rising Lion on June 13 was a gamble for Netanyahu, but by persuading Trump to join the fight to destroy targets that Israeli warplanes could not reach, Iran's nuclear ambitions remain thwarted—at least for the short term.

The ceasefire that Israel has agreed to could cement the Israeli prime minister's reputation 20 months on from the intelligence failures that preceded the October 7 2023 attack. <Hamas> attacks which dealt a blow to his security credentials.

"The fact that he finally undertook this military operation against Iran and that it was very successful is an amazing achievement for him personally and for the country," said Navan, who praised his coordination with the U.S.

"I have been critical of him but I lift my hat to him, I think it's absolutely extraordinary," said Navan, predicting that Netanyahu is not going to waste the rise in his political stock.

If early elections were held after the summer, he had an excellent chance of being elected again "because what he has achieved is simply phenomenal," said Navan, "I used to roll my eyes when people compared him to Churchill, but I think that now the comparison actually is deserved."

Boeing - Winner

The U.S. strikes on nuclear sites on Saturday were the first combat use of the GBU-57 MOP bunker-busting bombs developed by Boeing for the U.S. Air Force.

The delivery Of the 14 bombs, 12 of which were on the Fordow Nuclear Facility and two on the Natanz Nuclear Facility, caused severe damage to both sites, according to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the U.S Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Trump went further, saying they were "completely and totally obliterated," although current and former Pentagon officials said that the full extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear capabilities was not immediately clear.

Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, told NewsRealTime, "My guess is that Iran's nuclear program was not obliterated; it is hard to say how much damage was done to the actual nuclear enrichment site."

However, she added, "at the very least the U.S. and Israeli strikes have set the Iranian nuclear program back further, so there is no imminent threat."

The messaging from the U.S. and Israel about the bomb's effectiveness will give a boost to Boeing after a string of bad news—most recently the tragedy of its 787 passenger jet in India crashing minutes after takeoff this month, killing all but one onboard.

It followed previous crashes in 2018 and 2019 of its 737 airplane while in 2024, it posted a loss of $11.8 billion in 2024, bringing total losses since 2019 to over $35 billion.

Ayatollah Ali Khameini - Loser

The future of the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the conflict is uncertain, especially after the loss of the Islamic Republic's military and scientific leaders due to Israeli and U.S. operations.

Reza Pahlavi derides , the exiled son of Iran's last monarch for going into hiding "like a frightened rat" during Israel's attacks, Khamenei now commands a smaller power group of commanders, scientists, and regional proxies.

"The Islamic Republic stands as a shadow of its former self, a diminished entity grappling with the consequences of its overreach," said Ansari.

She said the question is whether his "armed thugs and supporters" will unleash their fury on civil society, leading to an increase in arrests and executions. The related question is how quickly and extensively defections will spread through the regime, particularly within the ranks of the internal security forces, army, and intelligence services.

Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told newsreal that there is a mix of disbelief, frustration, and anger among regime supporters who for years were promised that any attack by Israel—or any misstep by Israel or the U.S.—would mark the end of the Israeli state.

"Now, they see themselves and their country humiliated by repeated Israeli strikes, by Israeli fighter jets operating with near total freedom in Iranian airspace, and by the lack of a decisive response capable of restoring balance between the two sides," he said.

Vladimir Putin - Loser

Vladimir Putin met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi at the Kremlin on Monday, during which the Russian president condemned "the unprovoked aggression against Iran" by Israel and the U.S.

However, Iran has not been impressed with its ally's support, according to Reuters citing Iranian sources, and despite Putin touting a partnership deal in January, Moscow has offered little other than its condemnation over the last two weeks.

That 20-year-old Russian-Iranian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership The signed agreement had no mutual defense clause, but Iran's backing for Russia's war in Ukraine with Shahed drones appears not to have been reciprocated.

Half a year on from the collapse of Putin's ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Moscow now faces a regional partner whose regime has diminished .

Tulsi Gabbard - Loser

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard faced a rejection ff from Trump over her testimony on Capitol Hill In March, it was stated that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei had not authorized the nuclear weapons program.

When asked about the intelligence assessment, Trump said "she's wrong," later making a similar statement aboard Air Force One.

Gabbard responded that her testimony was taken out of context and that U.S. intelligence showed Iran can produce a nuclear weapon "within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly." She added that Trump "has been clear that can't happen, and I agree."

Tucker Carlson - Loser

Meanwhile, conservative TV host Tucker Carlson became the most high-profile anti-intervention figure, accusing Senator Ted Cruz about Iran, "whose government he seeks to 'topple,'" in an interview clip that went viral.

Despite being a long-time supporter, Carlson's rhetoric toward Trump has been increasingly critical. But his condemnation of intervention in Iran was at odds with the Trump administration whose role in the conflict has splintered the MAGA coalition a wing of which opposes American involvement in foreign wars.

Related Articles

• Trump's Closest Middle Eastern Allies Emerge as Winners in the Israel-Iran War
• One-Man Declarations of War Threaten the Nation and the World | Opinion
• GOP Rep.: American Airpower Obliterated Iran's Nuclear Ambitions—Rightfully So | Opinion
• Iran Should 'Rethink' Nuclear Ambitions: China State Media Pundit

Start your unlimited news real time trial

Read More

"In wars, everyone loses": Louisville rabbis fear extended conflict as U.S. and Iran exchange blows

There is concern within Louisville's synagogues about a prolonged war involving the U.S., should America's bombing of Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend lead to further conflict.

On Monday, Iran announced it had retaliated with its own missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar, though no casualties have been reported.

Louisville Rabbi Ben Freed of Keneseth Israel Congregation has loved ones in Israel and is worried for what could come next.

"I think really it's a combination of the potential for prolonged conflict, and the potential for many many more lives lost," Freed told WHAS11 on Monday. "The fear of retaliation is not just about me personally, it's about my friends, my family, my co-religionists -- my other Jews that I care for deeply. I hope that across the world, cooler heads will prevail."

Rabbi Matt Derrenbacher of The Temple hopes that Iran's latest strike on American targets was more symbolic rather than intended to inflict pain, suggesting they want to de-escalate.

My deepest hope is that's the end of the fighting and the warfare, and we can actually move on to some peace talks and de-escalation," Derrenbacher told WHAS11 over Zoom. "In wars, everyone loses, right, people on both sides die. It breaks communities apart.

Dr. Robert Farley, a senior lecturer at the University of Kentucky and an expert on diplomacy and national security, tells WHAS11 that Iran's response could indicate they want an exit strategy rather than a broader conflict, but it is not yet clear whether the attacks will continue in the long term.

They also have options involving terrorism. They have militias. They have many different ways of attacking the U.S. and U.S. interests, both in the region and around the world," Farley said. "But just because they have those capabilities doesn't mean that they're going to use them.

Farley said that Iran's response to the U.S. may just be a way to demonstrate to the Iranian people that the government "cares about what happened, and that it's willing to strike back."

"So we haven't really seen everything that the Iranians could throw at the United States yet," Farley said. "There are lots of other targets that the United States has in the region, all of which are reachable by ballistic missiles like the ones the Iranians just fired."

WHAS11 asked Farley if this means there's a chance for parties to get back to the negotiating table and reach a peace deal.

"There's probably some space between what Jerusalem wants and what Washington wants at this point, I don't think that the Israelis want any kind of deal. I think they want the war to continue for as long as possible in order to inflict damage on Iran," Farley said. "The Trump administration... Trump likes deals, right? And so he wants to be able to walk away from this with a deal with the Iranians. But it's not obvious what the Iranians really have left in order to deal with, and so sort of the basis for what that deal would be is not really readily apparent at this time."

Meanwhile, debate still swirls over whether President Donald Trump had the authority to carry out the weekend bombing without congressional approval.

Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, a Republican but also a frequent thorn in Trump's side, told CNN, "The base of the MAGA party that got Trump elected, most of us were tired of the wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. And we were promised that we wouldn't be engaging in another one, yet here we see this happening."

On Truth Social, Trump called Massie a "pathetic loser," and his team even launched a super PAC solely with the mission of unseating Massie in the May 2026 primary.

At Jefferson Square Park in Louisville on Monday, people protesting against Raytheon, a major U.S. military contractor, again voiced their concerns about the fighting in the Middle East.

"The protests will continue because the genocide continues, the bombing continues," one protester said.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-Louisville) condemned the Iranian attack against the U.S. air base in Qatar, saying, "I am praying for the safety of our brave troops, diplomats, and all Americans in the region and beyond. On behalf of all Louisvillians, I am fighting to ensure American safety and security and that our top priority is peace and not another endless war."

► Contact senior reporter Isaiah Kim-Martinez at IKimMartin@whas11.com or on Facebook or X .

► Make it easy to stay up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. Apple or Android users.

Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com , or visit our website Facebook page or X feed .

Read More