Colie Whitaker @ColieWhitaker

Hong Kong tanker attacked in Hormuz even as peace deal looms Shipping continues to be under attack in the Strait of Hormuz despite reports of a peace deal between US and Iran possibly being signed within 24 hours seatrade-maritime.com/security/hong-…

Will the U-2 Dragon Lady spyplane be retired next year, or not? There are mixed signals, as I explain on my website. dragonladytoday.com/2026/06/04/div…

US strikes vessel, Qeshm Island and sanctions Iranian crypto exchanges amid shaky ceasefire ▶️False flagged sanctioned tanker Lexie was en route to Iran’s Kharg island when it was struck after failing to comply with US forces for more than 24 hours ▶️US forces launched strikes on Qeshm Island and intercepted attempted attacks on Bahrain ▶️Centcom intercepted Iranian missiles targeting civillian mariners that were rightfully transiting the strait ▶️Ofac’s latest designations target Iran’s digital asset exchanges; the Treasury also warned against toll payments to Iran for safe passage lloydslist.com/articles/2026/…

Truer than ever Seattle is Dying | A KOMO News Documentary youtu.be/bpAi70WWBlw?si… via @YouTube

The biggest wealth transfer in American history isn’t happening on Wall Street. It’s happening on U-Hauls. Over $2 trillion in income fled high-tax blue states for low-tax red states in just 11 years. And blue states’ solution? Raise taxes again.

Powerful regional-level jamming has hit the Strait of Hormuz again, with major location and AIS spoofing seen over the last couple of hours. Seen here, AIS ship tracks on @MarineTraffic disappearing and jumping around.

Hegseth/Caine presser recap and analysis: The Joint Staff displayed an official ceasefire violation timeline on screen. Every Iranian escalation since April 7 documented in sequence: blockade, vessel strikes off Oman, UAVs at US warships, mine-laying, ship seizures, and culminating with the attacks on US warships May 4. That is a legal presentation at the Pentagon podium with DOW and JOINT STAFF stamped on it. They are building the public record for whatever comes next. Worth noting: Iranian accounts tracked increased US fighter activity over Iraq on April 23. The Joint Staff timeline shows Iran laid more mines in the Strait that same day. Iran may have been reacting to what they assessed as pre-strike positioning. Key numbers from Caine: 6 ships tried to run the blockade out of Iranian ports during Project Freedom launch. All turned around. 22,500 mariners on 1,550+ commercial vessels remain trapped. Iran fired at commercial vessels 9 times and seized 2 container ships. Iran attacked US forces more than 10 times. Small coastal cruise missiles were shot down in addition to fast boats and drones. Iran attacked Oman yesterday. Separately from the UAE strikes. Oman has served as the neutral back-channel mediator throughout this conflict. Iran is now attacking its own diplomatic lifeline. That is a strategic miscalculation that should not be overlooked. On the threshold for restarting major combat operations, Caine said Iran's attacks are currently "below the threshold." When asked what that threshold is: "That's a political decision above my pay grade." Hegseth: "The President retains more capabilities than we had at the start of this to restart major combat operations if necessary." The ceasefire "certainly holds" but the US is "locked, loaded, and ready to go" in a "three-point stance." Caine on Iran's military: "Their command and control structure remains very fractured. They're struggling to maintain control down echelon at the edge." This again is key, because if you consider peaceful options on the table, let's realistically play out how that eventually goes with the IRGC? Someone with a missile or weapon won't like it regardless of whatever could get signed or agreed upon unless it was a victory for the IRGC which won't happen. My read here is that the IRGC at this point cannot be negotiated with and kinetic action is likely, not in the form of say traditional US middle east wars, the US proved with Venezuela with the power of our tech/intel and AI we are capable of more deliberate and well planned targeted operations. The people in Iran will play a part of this eventually. They bled in the streets for change in January, the US just has to set the right conditions and they are prepared on the strike side and legal side when that happens.

Thank you Germany 🇩🇪and Britain 🇬🇧 for sacrificing your economies to save the planet. China appreciates you exporting your manufacturing to provide jobs for their citizens.

"The central question, then, is not only whether punishment can work. It is how to defeat a strategy built on coercion and disruption," writes @BenjamJensen. Read more from @csisfutures on how the U.S. can counter Iran's punishment campaign: csis.org/analysis/irans…

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How people spent their free time over the years. x.com/GigaBasedDad/s…

@JackPosobiec I would’ve had the F-22’s weapons bay open and a pilot sitting ready to pickle an AIM-120 right up Putin’s ass!

Marc Andreessen: if you're the parents of a smart kid where I grew up [rural Wisconsin] and you think you're going to get them into a top university in this country, you're fooling yourself... What level of untapped talent exists in this country that a combination of DEI and immigration have basically cut out of the loop for the last 50 years? Marc: Nobody wants to talk about, but I've started to talk about the intersection of DEI and immigration that has really warped our perceptions on high skilled immigration over the last 50 years. You look at the foreign enrollment rates at the top universities, which went from 2 or 3 or 4 percent 50 years ago or whatever to 27% or 30% or 50%... Joe: Columbia's over half. Marc: 70% or whatever it is. And so there's been this massive transformation in who gets educated. And then there's been this massive transformation of who gets admitted through affirmative action, as we now know it, DEI. This goes straight to the political divide in the country, which is, if you're parents of a kid where I grew up [rural Wisconsin] and you've got a smart kid and you think you're going to get them into, you know, a top university in this country, like you're fooling yourself. There is this really fundamental question which is, what level of untapped talent exists in this country that a combination of DEI and immigration have basically cut out of the loop for the last 50 years? And how long can we have this story to everybody in the Midwest and in the South that says, sorry, because of historical oppression, your kids are SOL.

Now that the 🇺🇸US has bombed 3 of 🇮🇷Iran's nuclear sites, where will the war go from here? It depends on 🇮🇱Israel: 🧵

Good thread.

Karim Sadjadpour @ksadjadpour

a year ago

1/10 The US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities is an unprecedented event that may prove to be transformational for Iran, the Middle East, US foreign policy, global non-proliferation, and potentially even the global order. Its impact will be measured for decades to come. 🧵

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Amazing footage showing the launch of ballistic missiles earlier today by Iran against Israel, from the cockpit of a commercial aircraft flying over Dubai.

This was a promise from Isreal, and only 8 month later, on June 12, 2025, barely 24 hours ago, Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion" - a massive preemptive airstrike on over 100 Iranian military and nuclear sites. x.com/eemmanuels4/st…

Thread. Israel/Iran developments. 1/

Israel Radar @IsraelRadar_com

a year ago

Israeli prep for potential war with Iran includes plans to immediately open over 10,000 public bomb shelters, increase capacity of hospitals, Maariv Online says.

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China’s presence in the Indian Ocean spans the diplomatic, economic, military and political realms. Explore and download this month’s Charting China post on China’s economic presence in the Indian Ocean. ➡ #SLD25 | Explore this month’s Charting China infographics examining China’s presence in the area: go.iiss.org/4kAQrEx | 🧾 Authors: Darshana M. Baruah, Rupert Schulenburg and Viraj Solanki ➡ Read in-depth analysis of China’s presence :go.iiss.org/4kBo2hH

@TheEconomist China has the second largest GDP in the world. Germany is a distant third. This is not even a question.