Local reports say Ukrainian draft officers detained a single father in Kryvyi Rih, leaving his 5-year-old daughter alone.

She reportedly spent the night with her kindergarten director.

Iran's FM Spox. Esmail Baghaei:

American officials' dancing and celebration over Iran's failure to advance to the next round of the World Cup violates all accepted standards and norms of hosting.

Somalia: Turkish Air Force F-16 jets carried out the strikes in Godey, Lower Shabelle this morning, hitting Al-Shabaab weapons caches and hideouts.

~35 militants killed, 20+ wounded, with secondary explosions confirming the targets held munitions and vehicles prepped for attacks.

Iran's FM Spox. Esmail Baghaei:

We had not planned any meetings with the American side at any level over the next few days, so there is nothing for us to cancel.

What is likely to take place in Doha tomorrow is discussions with the Qatari side regarding the implementation of certain provisions of the memorandum of understanding, including the clause concerning the release of Iran's restricted assets.

Therefore, I emphasize that no meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days.

Meta Contractors Pretended to Be Kids to Feed Toxic Prompts to Rival Chatbots

Meta deployed hundreds of contractors posing as minors to secretly test competitor chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT with high-risk subjects like suicide, drugs, and self-harm.

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Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

Walt & Mearsheimer wrote their landmark work on Israel lobby 20 years ago, concluding US-Israel relationship doesn't serve American interest.
 
That argument is even stronger today. The war in Iran was, in retrospect, predictable - and hard to see as serving American interest.
 
Yet the Israel lobby keeps doubling down: pulling America into things even more directly against its interests, with brute-force politics.
 
It has tried to police debate ever more aggressively, weaponizing antisemitism.
 
Right now, in ongoing primaries, there's a flood of pro-Israel money - often dark money.

FULL INTERVIEW

Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

Antisemitism is real. But weaponizing the term to shield Israeli policy & Zionism from scrutiny actually undermines its seriousness.
 
Zionism, like any ideology, should be open to scrutiny & should be interrogated.
 
Zionism has led to decades of no peace, decades of Palestinian displacement & regional instability.
 
And it hasn't delivered better security for Jewish people - in Israel or overseas.
 
But the Israel lobby keeps doubling down on brute-force politics to stop critics.

FULL INTERVIEW

AfD Leader Vows to End Russian Energy Boycott in Bid for German Chancellery

AfD leader Alice Weidel called for an end to the boycott of Russian oil and gas, framing a restoration of German-Russian ties as essential to saving country's flagging economy.

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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz:

As of today, no country has the ability to mount attacks in space.

We must be the leading country in the world with this capability.

The Trump administration wants U.S. intelligence agencies to create a single master database of all foreign espionage targets—including suspected spies, intelligence officers, hackers, criminal groups, and potential CIA recruits.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) says the list would improve coordination and prevent agencies from working at cross-purposes.

However, senior officials at the FBI and CIA have resisted, arguing that centralizing such highly sensitive information could expose covert operations, reveal investigations, and increase the risk of leaks or misuse.

Source: NYT

Obama on Iran:

There was a deal in place in which Iran had agreed not to develop nuclear weapons that the entire international community, including Israeli intelligence, our own intelligence agencies, assessed was working.

This administration, or a prior version of this administration, pulled out of it, which caused then Iran to develop more nuclear capacity.

We've now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died.

And it feels like we're back where we were before we started the war—except maybe a little bit worse off.

And my understanding is that the ceasefire says we've now got 60 days to develop a plan to deal with the nuclear issue, but we don't know yet what that plan is.

Source: TODAY - Glass Half Full

Obama:

The idea of America as a multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious, raucous democracy can work—and that's what gives us confidence in the future.

Source: TODAY - Glass Half Full

Obama:

I think we're in a transition period where there are a lot of Barack and Michelle Obamas out there doing cool stuff, but politics hasn't quite given them the platform yet.

Media hasn't shined a spotlight on them yet. If we can help focus on the great work they're doing, then that's one of our core missions.

Source: TODAY - Glass Half Full

Obama on Iran:

We have a tendency to forget that any war—the burden is borne by regular people, just folks who are just trying to live their lives and look after their families.

And so if we can stop fighting in the region, that's good for the people who live there.

If the Strait of Hormuz reopens, hopefully over time that provides ordinary folks some relief from high gas prices and energy prices.

Source: TODAY - Glass Half Full

Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

Public opinion polling shows dramatic shifts among Democrat voters - swings of 40-50% against Israel.
 
There's a civil war inside MAGA between America first wing vs Israel first wing, more invective exchanged between Republicans themselves than with Democrats.
 
For a while, Israel First seemed to be winning. Now the pendulum has swung back. Tucker Carlson & Mark Levin are going at it publicly.
 
Even the theological foundation - the end times dispensationalism - is being challenged on scriptural grounds.
 
That's the civil war underway. Vance has just put his thumb on the scale. We'll see which side wins.

FULL INTERVIEW

Bessent:

I would encourage all of the gasoline retailers... I would encourage them to be good actors, especially on the 250th anniversary, because we're watching.

Obama: We Wasted Billions to End Up at Square One With a Worse Iran Deal

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has heavily criticized the recent conflict with Iran, arguing that Washington abandoned a functional nuclear agreement only to wage a costly war.

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Outgoing Starmer Unveils 10-Year Defense Plan to Counter Russian Threat

British PM Keir Starmer has unveiled a 10-year Defense Investment Plan, injecting an extra £15 billion, prioritizing drone and AI capabilities to counter threats from Russia.

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Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

Even Netanyahu has acknowledged that direct Congressional aid for Israel is bad politics. So the approach is shifting towards disguise.
 
A bill moving through Congress would replace direct funding with joint weapons development programs.
 
Israel would still get American taxpayer subsidies, but embedded in shared development - weapons it can then sell & profit from.
 
The deeper goal is mutual dependence - not Israel dependent on America, but a relationship that works both ways.
 
This is just one example of the pieces Israel can still bring into play, even when things look bleak.

FULL INTERVIEW

The US Supreme Court ruled that states can ban transgender girls and women from competing in female sports, overturning lower court decisions in cases from Idaho and West Virginia.

The ruling is expected to affect similar laws in at least 25 other states and marks another major victory for the Trump administration's policies on transgender rights.

Oman Proposes Joint Plan with Iran to Collect Fees in Strait of Hormuz

Despite objections, Oman submitted a formal proposal to the U.S. and Western allies to collect maritime service fees from vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz alongside Iran.

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