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.

READ MORE

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.

READ MORE

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

The Zionist opposition - right-wing & centrist alike - hasn't offered a real alternative. Many support continued bombing.
 
But Israel may try to make this a Netanyahu problem - blame one man, install new leadership, and declare everything fixed.
 
There's likely to be some receptivity to that narrative. Much of the Western leadership will embrace that.
 
But still Israel may have gone beyond its ability to pull this off. Public opinion & mobilized constituencies worldwide are asking deeper questions.
 
They have recognized the core problem is the ethno-supremacist ideology that has no place for a Palestinian future or a peaceful region.

FULL INTERVIEW

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

Israel sees only two acceptable outcomes in the region - collapsing states that pose no threat, or states dependent on it that pose no threat.
 
Everyone knew the Gulf would be hit once this war started. It seems Israel wanted the Gulf weakened.
 
Israel is somewhat jealous of the relationships regional leaders, Pakistan, Saudi, Türkiye, UAE & Qatar, have with the US.
 
Israel also demonstrated its usefulness to the UAE directly during this war - defensively & offensively. It hopes others follow that lead.
 
Most others seem reluctant to follow. Whether they'll actually stand up to Israel remains an open question.

FULL INTERVIEW

BREAKING: The Supreme Court blocked Trump's birthright citizenship order, so citizenship by birth remains unchanged for children born in the U.S., including those of undocumented immigrants and certain temporary visa holders.

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

Israel hopes to stem the bleeding in the US - whether or not it has to deal with Netanyahu specifically affects how its allies maneuver.
 
The Ellison family, Israel-aligned owners of Oracle, now control CBS, CNN & other legacy outlets - and have moved into new media too, including American TikTok.
 
Tech & AI companies have aggressively policed discourse - taking down criticism of Israel & Zionism.
 
What it really depends on is whether people are going to stand up to that. And whether power can be accumulated.
 
But it all comes down to power, whether the challenge to Israel's ethno-supremacism successfully builds alliances.
 
A different future - beyond apartheid & domination - would also mean better security for Israeli Jews.

FULL INTERVIEW

US Quake Relief in Venezuela Meets Public Anger at Interim Government

Massive US earthquake relief operations in Venezuela are colliding with widespread public hostility toward acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s interim government.

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Trump:

BIG WIN: The United States Supreme Court just RULED AGAINST MEN PLAYING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.

Wow! That takes that ridiculous situation off the table!!!

US Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship in Blow to Trump

US Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship in a 5-4 ruling, delivering a major defeat to the president's immigration agenda.

READ MORE

Japanese Yen Plummets to New 40-Year Low Against US Dollar

The Japanese yen has collapsed to a 40-year low, plunging past the 162 mark for the first time since 1986 amid a widening interest rate gap and Middle East energy shocks.

READ MORE

Trump:

The Supreme Court just took restrictions off political spending! A BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS and, more importantly, The First Amendment!

Netanyahu visits Israel's "security zone" in southern Lebanon.

Turkish President Erdogan:

We are experiencing the brightest period in our history of naval shipbuilding.

To date, we have exported more than 140 naval platforms to countries around the world.

At present, more than 50 warships are being built in our shipyards.

Turkish President Erdogan:

We do not attach the slightest importance to the slander directed at our country by a criminal network whose hands are stained with the blood of 73,000 innocent people in Gaza, most of them women and children.

Our history contains no genocide, no massacres, no oppression, and no colonialism.

Throughout our thousands of years of glorious history, there has been only justice and compassion.