Trump had allegedly faced two assassination attempts, including one in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 election that left him with a wound to his ear.
“The leadership has gotten more radical, determined and increasingly confident they can outlast U.S. political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance” inside Iran, the official said. “Comparatively, you see similar regimes lasting years under sustained embargoes and airpower-only wars.”
- Not a surprise really, not if anyone is paying attention. There's so many things wrong and questionable with everything the administration has done. Putting aside the reason for going to war (Netanyahu) and the war being illegal (international law) and not being anything what so ever that NATO would be involved with. . . .
- Trump and Hegseth have thumped their chest and crowed about how totally annihilated Iran's military capacity was - even as they fired missiles and attacked their geographic neighbors.
- Trump and Hegseth have gone on and on and on endlessly about how desperate Iran is to make a deal - while Iran has essentially given the middle finger back in return while telling the world there is no negotiations.
- Trump's rhetoric and proclamations have gotten wilder and more unhinged - indicating to anyone with a brain, the US and Trump has lost or doesn't have any leverage.
- Deadlines have been set repeatedly - and they always sail by and get extended or ignored. Project Freedom lasted 24 hours.
=== The result of this military action by the US and Israel has done one thing - it has made Iran realise how much leverage they have, how much pressure and military force they can sustain while still being essentially in the driving seat. The US does not want a ground war no matter what - and Israel can't launch a ground war no matter what.
We aren't stronger and safer - we've essentially empowered Iran. The Orange Clown in office together with his He-Man wannabe Sec of War have made a huge mess. . . . and just wait for the continued accusations that to point all of this out is somehow treasonous and un-American.
U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months May 7, 2026 in News U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months A confidential CIA analysis delivered to administration policymakers this week concludes that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four months before facing more severe economic hardship, four people familiar with the document said, a finding that appears to raise new questions about President Donald Trump’s optimism on ending the war.
The analysis by the U.S. intelligence community, whose secret assessments on Iran have often been more sober than the administration’s public statements, also found that Tehran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities despite weeks of intense U.S. and Israeli bombardment, three of the people familiar with it said.
Iran retains about 75 percent of its prewar inventories of mobile launchers and about 70 percent of its prewar stockpiles of missiles, a U.S. official said. The official said there is evidence that the regime has been able to recover and reopen almost all of its underground storage facilities, repair some damaged missiles and even assemble some new missiles that were nearly complete when the war began.
Trump painted a rosier picture in Oval Office remarks on Wednesday, saying of Iran: “Their missiles are mostly decimated, they have probably 18, 19 percent, but not a lot by comparison to what they had.”
Three current and one former U.S. official confirmed the outlines of the intelligence analysis, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
Asked for comment, a senior U.S. intelligence official emphasized the blockade’s impact. “The President’s blockade is inflicting real, compounding damage — severing trade, crushing revenue, and accelerating systemic economic collapse. Iran’s military has been badly degraded, its navy destroyed, and its leaders are in hiding,” the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said in a statement. “What’s left is the regime’s appetite for civilian suffering — starving its own people to prolong a war it has already lost.”
Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials have consistently presented the war as an overwhelming U.S. military victory, despite Iran’s rejection of Washington’s demands that it abandon nuclear enrichment, surrender its uranium stockpiles, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and take other steps.
Trump called the blockade “unbelievable” on Wednesday. “The Navy has been incredible. The job they did … it’s like a wall of steel. Nobody goes through,” he said.
A day prior, he said Iran’s economy “is crashing,” their currency is “worthless,” and they “can’t pay their soldiers.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, touting the president’s sanctions regime, dubbed “Economic Fury,” noted in late April that Iran’s main oil terminal would soon reach capacity, “causing permanent damage to Iran’s oil infrastructure.”
But Iran has proved resilient, despite losing its supreme leader and many other top officials to missile strikes, as well as much of its military hardware.
One of the U.S. officials who spoke to The Washington Post said they thought Iran’s capacity to endure prolonged economic hardship is far greater than even the CIA estimate. “The leadership has gotten more radical, determined and increasingly confident they can outlast U.S. political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance” inside Iran, the official said. “Comparatively, you see similar regimes lasting years under sustained embargoes and airpower-only wars.”
Since the war began Feb. 28, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital channel for shipping oil from the Persian Gulf.
A week after the ceasefire was reached April 7, Trump imposed a blockade on Iran, applying it to all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports. His move followed the collapse of U.S.-Iran peace talks in Pakistan. “I think Iran is in very bad shape. I think they’re pretty desperate,” he said at the time. “I don’t care if they come back [to negotiations] or not. If they don’t come back, I’m fine.”
On Sunday, Trump launched a mission he called “Project Freedom” with a goal to help commercial vessels transit the strait, including with U.S. Navy escorts, only to say Tuesday that the operation had been pausedbecause of “Great Progress” in peace talks.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday that it was reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war and would relay its response via Pakistani mediators.
Iran’s economy is reeling from the effects of the war, as well as from persistent inflation and economic mismanagement.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Iran is losing half a billion dollars daily because of the blockade. “During Operation Epic Fury, Iran was crushed militarily,” Kelly said in a statement. “Now, they are being strangled economically by Operation Economic Fury and losing $500 million per day thanks to the United States Military’s successful blockade of Iranian ports. The Iranian regime knows full well their current reality is not sustainable, and President Trump holds all the cards as negotiators work to make a deal.”
But the CIA estimate says Iran can survive the U.S. blockade for 90 to 120 days — and maybe longer — before facing more severe economic hardship, the four people familiar with it said.
Tehran is storing some of its oil aboard tanker ships that otherwise would be empty because of the blockade, one of the people said. It is also decreasing the flows in its oil fields to ensure the wells remain functional. “It’s nowhere near as dire as some have claimed,” this person said of Iran’s economic situation.
The CIA analysis might even be underestimating Iran’s economic resilience if Tehran is able to smuggle oil via overland routes. Truck and rail convoys can’t replace the volume of ships and open sea lanes but might provide an economic cushion, one of the U.S. officials said. “There’s a belief they could begin moving some oil via rail through Central Asia,” the official said.
On the matter of Iranian weapons, the confidential intelligence assessment says that Iran’s inventory of missiles and mobile launchers remains formidable.
Iran is thought to have had roughly 2,500 ballistic missiles before the war began, as well as thousands more unarmed drones. Iran has used those weapons to launch retaliatory strikes against U.S. allies in the Gulf as well as U.S. military sites across the region. A Post visual investigation found that Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East, a level of destruction far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government.
The timeline for when Iran can again start producing ballistic missiles in substantial quantities has shortened, one of the U.S. officials said.
To control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, however, the missiles matter less than the lower-cost drones, analysts inside and outside the government say. And unlike medium–range missiles that can strike, say, Israel, these drones can be built in small warehouses and easily concealable facilities, another U.S. official said.
“All it takes is one drone to hit a ship and no one will give insurance” to the oil tankers, said Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies.
In early April, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that more than half of Iran’s missile launchers were still intact and that it had thousands of one-way attack drones in its arsenal, The Post and CNN reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Citrinowicz, a former head of the Iran branch in Israeli military intelligence, said that even if the blockade lasted several months, it would not force the regime to bend to Washington’s demands. “The problem is they don’t think they need to capitulate,” he said.
In the end, he said, despite U.S.-Israeli military successes in Iran, the outcome still could be strategic failure.
“What started as a war supposedly aimed at toppling the regime and dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities,” Citrinowicz posted Wednesday on X, “may instead leave Iran’s regime stronger than before — empowered by sanctions relief, still retaining significant missile capabilities, continuing support for its proxies, and almost certainly preserving uranium enrichment on its own soil.’’
The post U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months appeared first on Washington Post.
Chinese-owned oil tanker hit near Hormuz as US pauses ship-protection plan, report says Reuters Thu, May 7, 2026 at 11:05 AM EDT 2 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Add Yahoo on Google
LONDON/ATHENS, May 7 (Reuters) - A Chinese-owned oil products tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Chinese media outlet Caixin reported, as President Donald Trump launched a U.S. plan that day to help stranded vessels but suspended it a day later.
This was the first time a Chinese oil tanker has been attacked, a person with knowledge of the matter told Caixin on Thursday.
Traffic through the vital strait, through which 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies pass, has been at a virtual standstill since the Iran conflict began on February 28.
The unnamed vessel's deck caught fire and the ship was marked "CHINA OWNER & CREW," according to Caixin.
It was not clear if any of the vessel's crew were injured.
China remains a key buyer of Iranian oil, which has been targeted by a U.S. blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
China's foreign ministry did not respond to an out-of-hours request for comment.
Trump said on Monday the U.S. would begin efforts to assist ships stranded in Hormuz, though he suspended it a day later, after Iran responded by launching drones and missiles at several ships and at its neighbours, particularly the UAE.
INCIDENT OCCURRED OFF UAE COAST
Maritime security sources said the Chinese vessel that was damaged was believed to be the Marshall Islands-flagged oil products and chemical tanker JV Innovation, which had reported a fire on its deck to nearby ships on Monday.
More in World
US says it has targeted Iranian military facilities after responding to attacks on navy ships
The incident took place off the United Arab Emirates coast in the Gulf close to Mina Saqr, the report said.
Due to the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, hundreds of ships and 20,000 seafarers remain trapped inside the Gulf, with traffic through Hormuz paralysed after renewed attacks on ships this week.
China's foreign minister [censored] Yi met with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Beijing a day earlier and they discussed reopening the strait, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.
The U.S. and Iran are edging toward a limited, temporary agreement to halt the war, sources and officials said, with a draft framework that would stop the fighting but leave the most contentious issues unresolved.
(Reporting by Beijing bureau, Jonathan Saul in London and Renee Maltezou in Athens; Editing by Toby Chopra and Bernadette Baum)
Trump calls for Jeffries to be charged with ‘inciting violence’ in social media post
President Donald Trump pushed for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be charged with “INCITING VIOLENCE” on Thursday, his latest call to go after Democratic opponents in the legal arena.
“The Radical Left Democrats actually want to Destroy our Country,” he wrote on Truth Social, alongside an image of Jeffries gesturing to a “maximum warfare” sign and another image from the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which took place three days after the photo of Jeffries was taken.
Republicans have blamed Democrats for escalating violent rhetoric in the wake of the shooting at the dinner. Trump had previously faced two assassination attempts, including one in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 election that left him with a wound to his ear.
Jeffries, who unveiled the “maximum warfare” campaign — a redistricting initiative— after Democrats passed a 10-1 redraw in Virginia last month, in particular has drawn Trump’s ire. Trump called the seven-term lawmaker “Hakeem 'Low IQ' Jeffries” on Thursday.
When asked for comment, Jeffries' office referred POLITICO to a post from the minority leader on X on Thursday.
“The Knicks are up 2-0 and I have to wake up to another deranged rant from this guy,” he wrote. “Gas prices are sky high, grocery bills are surging and families can't catch a break. Democrats are about to take back the House and you're losing your mind. Where's the luv?”
But Jeffries is far from the only high-profile Democrat Trump has pushed to prosecute in recent months.
The president accused six Democrats — including battleground Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) of “sedition” last November after they made a video urging service members to disobey illegal orders. Democrats filed police complaints after Trump called for them to be arrested and even hanged.
A grand jury in February rejected D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s effort to indict the six lawmakers.
Last September, Trump urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to move faster in charging several of his longtime political opponents, including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
James was indicted just weeks later, but the charges were later dropped.
When LB Carson Schwesinger walked into CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on April 7 for the beginning of the voluntary workout program, he felt a sense of familiarity and excitement to start off his second year in the NFL.
Just about a year ago, Schwesinger was selected as the 33rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Browns and went on to win the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year for his play during his rookie season. He led all NFL rookies with 146 tackles and 11 tackles for loss and was tied for third in interceptions.
Now, as his second year begins, Schwesinger is already focused on building off a successful first season.
"My whole family was there which was cool to share that with all of them, it's a great honor," Schwesinger said. "But now I guess the mindset is just, what's next? And keep building off of it."
In the interim, the next step is participating in the offseason workout program. He used the time following the end of the season to get healthy and recover from the 2025 season. As they continue through the different phases of the workout program, Schwesinger said he is focused on finding the areas of his game that he can improve.
He has had conversations with run game coordinator and linebackers coach Jason Tarver about aspects of his game to focus on and how he could reach the levels of improvement they want to see.
"I think there's a lot of things to get better at," Schwesinger said. "Whether it's just the preparation throughout the game week and figuring out really what to watch, how to watch film and things like that. But even just in this time, whether it's improving the football knowledge, football intelligence or just finding better ways to attack the ball and really get those punch outs. I think that's something I'm really going to work on this year. And just continuing to grow in terms of patience behind the ball and being able to see things and being ready by the snap."
In order to begin that process, Schwesinger saw value in returning to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus for the voluntary workout program during this stage of the offseason. He also viewed the program as an opportunity to meet new head coach Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.
"For me, I just want to be able to do as much as I can and get better," Schwesinger said. "And I think the place for me to do that is here. And obviously we have Rudy here and a lot of whole new coaches, so I think it's important to get to meet them as well and understand them. I was excited to be around all the guys again and see them and be able to work with them."
His coaches expressed the same level of excitement about the opportunity to coach Schwesinger. Monken remembered in 2025 when he was with the Ravens and the defensive coaching staff discussed Schwesinger ahead of the draft.
"I obviously didn't know him as the offensive coordinator, but I remember them speaking of what his superpower was, who he was," Monken said. "And then to see it when we played against him was impressive. Run, chase, hit, very instinctual, loves football, outstanding leader, all of those things and you're like, well, they're right. I'm damn glad he's a Brown."
Not only did Schwesinger lead the Browns in tackles, but he also served as the defensive signal caller by wearing the green dot. He earned the responsibility during training camp and stepped into a vital role as the starting middle linebacker, a role he held for the entirety of his rookie season.
When LB Carson Schwesinger walked into CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on April 7 for the beginning of the voluntary workout program, he felt a sense of familiarity and excitement to start off his second year in the NFL.
Just about a year ago, Schwesinger was selected as the 33rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Browns and went on to win the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year for his play during his rookie season. He led all NFL rookies with 146 tackles and 11 tackles for loss and was tied for third in interceptions.
Now, as his second year begins, Schwesinger is already focused on building off a successful first season.
"My whole family was there which was cool to share that with all of them, it's a great honor," Schwesinger said. "But now I guess the mindset is just, what's next? And keep building off of it."
In the interim, the next step is participating in the offseason workout program. He used the time following the end of the season to get healthy and recover from the 2025 season. As they continue through the different phases of the workout program, Schwesinger said he is focused on finding the areas of his game that he can improve.
He has had conversations with run game coordinator and linebackers coach Jason Tarver about aspects of his game to focus on and how he could reach the levels of improvement they want to see.
"I think there's a lot of things to get better at," Schwesinger said. "Whether it's just the preparation throughout the game week and figuring out really what to watch, how to watch film and things like that. But even just in this time, whether it's improving the football knowledge, football intelligence or just finding better ways to attack the ball and really get those punch outs. I think that's something I'm really going to work on this year. And just continuing to grow in terms of patience behind the ball and being able to see things and being ready by the snap."
In order to begin that process, Schwesinger saw value in returning to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus for the voluntary workout program during this stage of the offseason. He also viewed the program as an opportunity to meet new head coach Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.
"For me, I just want to be able to do as much as I can and get better," Schwesinger said. "And I think the place for me to do that is here. And obviously we have Rudy here and a lot of whole new coaches, so I think it's important to get to meet them as well and understand them. I was excited to be around all the guys again and see them and be able to work with them."
His coaches expressed the same level of excitement about the opportunity to coach Schwesinger. Monken remembered in 2025 when he was with the Ravens and the defensive coaching staff discussed Schwesinger ahead of the draft.
"I obviously didn't know him as the offensive coordinator, but I remember them speaking of what his superpower was, who he was," Monken said. "And then to see it when we played against him was impressive. Run, chase, hit, very instinctual, loves football, outstanding leader, all of those things and you're like, well, they're right. I'm damn glad he's a Brown."
Not only did Schwesinger lead the Browns in tackles, but he also served as the defensive signal caller by wearing the green dot. He earned the responsibility during training camp and stepped into a vital role as the starting middle linebacker, a role he held for the entirety of his rookie season.
MTG came to the House with a net worth around $600k she left worth more than $22 million great ROI.
I would love to tell you I am shocked - but I am not. I bet there are plenty of examples like that on both sides. . . obviously with Trump's blatant abuse of office he will be one of the single biggest net gainers in history.
You are promoting things that would be for the good of our entire country and for society as a whole. For all people. You are promoting that the government take some of the money we pay them every year back to help regular people and protect our environment for future generations and less on war and tax breaks for the rich. That must mean you are a communist. If you don't believe me just ask them.
National parks are for everyone. They are a wonderment for all to see. They are a legacy for future generations. Somehow that isn't as important to some people. That speaks volumes in and of itself.
I don't own guns - have no interest in them but I see the need to protect the 2nd amendment (albeit that I think we could improve safety and reduce gun deaths if we tried).
I'm never going to have an abortion - but I see the need to protect women's right to choose. While I can respect others religious beliefs on the subject - I believe in the separation of government policy from religious doctrine.
You could probably make a decently long list of things I don't personally care about - but realise for the betterment of the country/society ... we need to protect or keep systems/organizations etc. It does not take much brain power to look at the benefits of the National Parks - the revenue they generate - to realize what Trump and Project 2025 is advocating / doing - is simply a play to get rich folks even richer at the expense of something that can never be replaced once it is gone. . . Just my opinion of course, but being unable to call it out for what it is under the guise of apathy just indicates someone that has been well and truly groomed how to think and respond.
He knows his situation. Fans will have a short fuse with him. Any mistakes will be met with immediate response from the fans.
If DW is named the starter. Then Monken has his read on Shedeur and it will be telling.
This seasons results will lead to next year's strategy regarding the future of the quarterback position.
I agree. He will make the decisions on who plays. He doesn't care what has happened in the past or who the fans like or dislike. All he cares about it who picks up the playbook, shows leadership and executes the plays.
Maybe you can tell me what crimes they have been convicted of and how many felony counts they were found guilty of? I can show you 34 felony counts trump was convicted on. Let me guess. The fact trump was convicted on 34 felony counts is the fault of the democrats, right? Tell me how it was those evil dems who convicted him and not a jury. Or how it wasn't a jury who found he was libel for sexually assaulting a woman? Let me guess, you have a list of excuses for that one too? Tell me how every election trump or republicans win isn't rigged but every time a democrat wins an election you people claim it was rigged?
Or maybe you can explain this one though I know you will ignore it and just post more BS.... After Trump ordered the bombing on Iran's nuclear facilities in June of 2025 he proclaimed that they, "obliterated Iran's nuclear program setting it back several years if not decades." Then just eight months later he claimed that Iran was less than a month away from having a nuclear weapon. So which of those two times was he lying?
And let's not forget this one. On April 18th, 2026, President Trump claimed Iran "agreed to everything" in negotiations, including removing enriched uranium, ceasing proxy support, and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.
Once again you prove that every accusation you make is just a confession. Do you call the fact I pointed out that trump has been convicted on 34 felony counts "hate"? Do you call me pointing out that trump made two opposite claims about Iran's nuclear program one of which has to be a lie hate? Because that's usually what you call it when we presented with the facts.
You have TDS. Trump devotion syndrome. No matter what he does, no matter what he says, no matter how many times he lies to you, you remain devoted to him.
Or she could just be a criminal like many Dems are and want to use the sheep in her party's hatred for Trump to try and shield herself from her criminal activity. See Omar and tampon Tim. There are many examples.
"None of this proves wrongdoing. But it highlights something deeply uncomfortable: in a moment when Americans are still debating why the country is involved in global conflicts at all, the people closest to power appear positioned to profit from the weapons and technology used in them."
To say nothing of the $1/2B - $1 Billion placed on oil futures moments/minutes before Trump announced the first ceasefire.
And let's not forget the many Democrats and Republicans who divested huge portfolios on the back of their early Covid briefings while telling the public everything was fine and dandy.
Eric, Don Jr. invest in military drone company amid Iran war
The business of war has always been lucrative. But when the people making money are tied directly to the people making policy, it raises questions Americans should be asking.
A new military drone company called Powerus, backed by investors including the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, is planning a strange corporate move: merging with a Florida golf course holding company to create a publicly traded drone business. The deal would combine a defense technology firm with a company that owns golf courses near Orlando, including Kissimmee Bay Country Club and Remington Golf Club. According to the announcement, those courses could even become testing grounds for drone systems.
It’s an unusual pairing. But the bigger issue is who stands to benefit.
Powerus says it builds autonomous drones for military and high-risk environments and wants to scale production to more than 10,000 drones a month. That’s a massive bet on a rapidly expanding market. The Pentagon has already launched initiatives like its Drone Dominance program, which plans to spend about $1.1 billion to buy hundreds of thousands of American-made drone systems by 2027.
And that demand is growing partly because of policy decisions coming out of Washington, including bans on new Chinese-made drones, which have long dominated the global market.
So the same administration shaping the rules of the industry also has family members investing heavily in companies that could fill the gap.
A few days after the U.S. decided to go to war with Iran, Eric Trump wrote on X, “Drones are the wave of the future — Proud of this company and the work that they are doing to keep America safe,” linking to another drone company he invests in.
Donald Trump Jr. is also connected to multiple defense-tech ventures. He sits on the board of drone component company Unusual Machines. Forbes reported, “Unusual Machines is at least the second company that appears to have activated an advisory board specifically to give Trump a role” and “granting him shares worth millions—then announcing at least $15.2 million in military-linked orders, including a direct U.S. Army buy.”
The U.S. Army confirmed the order, but the company did not disclose the price charged to taxpayers.
This isn’t happening in isolation. The United States already spends more on its military than any other country — nearly $1 trillion in 2025, more than the next nine nations combined. President Trump has proposed raising that to $1.5 trillion by 2027.
And throughout Washington, financial ties to the defense industry are common. Marc Berkowitz, who is Trump’s current assistant secretary of Defense for space policy, previously worked at Lockheed Martin and still owns between $1 million and $5 million in company stock.
This is what critics call the modern version of wartime profiteering, when private companies generate enormous revenue from government defense contracts during periods of conflict or geopolitical tension.
None of this proves wrongdoing. But it highlights something deeply uncomfortable: in a moment when Americans are still debating why the country is involved in global conflicts at all, the people closest to power appear positioned to profit from the weapons and technology used in them.
And when war becomes this intertwined with business, it’s fair for people to question if it stops being just about national security.
A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. . . . American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. . . . This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . .Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
Virginia’s L. Louise Lucas has been brash and unafraid to stand up to Trump. Now, she’s become a target after a major victory.
The FBI raided the Portsmouth, Virginia, office of Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas, a Democratic leader in the state behind its redistricting victory, on Wednesday, ostensibly over corruption allegations.
Lucas, an 82-year-old great-grandmother, has been a frequent critic of Republicans and President Trump, and is an ally to Virginia’s Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger. Fox News covered the FBI raid live.
The bureau reportedly has multiple search warrants, and is also raiding a cannabis dispensary co-owned by Lucas next door. Lucas has frequently advocated for marijuana legalization, and in 2022, her business was found by the Virginia Mercury to be selling delta-9 THC, a substance illegal to sell in Virginia, although many of the products in her store were found to be mislabeled.
Lucas is combative on social media, posting memes in support of Virginia’s redistricting effort and going toe-to-toe with Republicans like President Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. That could be why she’s being targeted by the FBI, which under director Kash Patel has vindictively pursued Trump’s critics.
I agree no matter how well Watson plays this season we should just let him go when it's over. I like Shedeur but I don't think he's our long term answer.
