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Jul 21, 2026
Trigger-happy Hegseth brings Pentagon to brink of going broke: report
The cost of President Donald Trump's war with Iran, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been blowing through armament stockpiles despite warnings, has the Pentagon close to running out of money, according to a report Tuesday.The Pentagon is hemorrhaging funds at an alarming rate. Critical defense budget lines are set to evaporate within weeks as the escalating conflict with Iran consumes resources at unprecedented speed, lawmakers and Pentagon officials told the Washington Post.The financial crisis is already forcing the military to make devastating choices. Training exercises and maintenance programs essential to military readiness are being slashed or eliminated entirely, according to the report which also noted that equipment maintenance budgets are being "cannibalized" to cover operational shortfalls.Hegseth has publicly dismissed concerns about depleting munitions supplies, claiming during a CBS interview last month that U.S. stockpiles remain "great, and they're only getting stronger." His public bravado starkly contrasts with private Pentagon assessments."In private, Pentagon officials have expressed far greater anxiety, according to current and former officials, arguing that the military desperately needs more money to restock munitions needed to deter U.S. adversaries like Russia and China," the Post reported.The collapsed Iran ceasefire threatens to worsen the crisis. After four U.S. service members died during intensive combat operations, the conflict appears set to escalate with no end in sight.The White House has requested $67 billion in emergency funding from Congress, but lawmakers remain deadlocked over how to proceed. The House is recessing for a month Thursday, pushing any fiscal resolution weeks away at minimum.The Navy and Air Force are particularly stressed. Both services have deployed extensive assets to the Middle East, and portions of their 2026 budgets covering operations are projected to run dry by month's end.
Jul 21, 2026
UN says nearly 150 migrants are dead or missing off West Africa in separate incidents
The United Nations refugee agency says it is “extremely saddened” after nearly 150 people died or went missing off Mauritania last week
Jul 21, 2026
MS NOW hosts 'fascinated' as Fox News flips on Trump's war: 'The clock is ticking'
President Donald Trump is not only losing his war with Iran, he is also losing the hearts and minds of prominent Fox News personalities who are reading the writing on the wall that voters are taking his failure seriously, Morning Joe's hosts said Tuesday.The hosts of the MSNOW show shared clips from their conservative network counterpart, where longtime commentator Britt Hume was nothing but gloom and doom about a war that one White House insider told Politico is nothing less than a “quagmire.”“Some of the things that he might need to do to get the Strait [of Hormuz] open, for example, and perhaps even to accomplish other ends in dealing with Tehran, may be militarily feasible,” Hume told Fox host Bret Baier. “But politically they're very difficult. I mean, we're seeing some casualties now. So I think the president's in kind of a tough spot here in that sense.”He then added, “And he promised to keep us out of endless wars or unsatisfactory wars and now he's in one and it's not at all clear how it's going to end.”That was followed by a clip of a grim-faced Laura Graham, who put the president — and Republicans — on notice.“With the midterm elections a little more than 100 days away, the clock is ticking for President Trump to get out of this war before voters head to the polls,” she told viewers.“It’s making a lot of Republicans nervous. It’s already, as we know, unpopular,” she continued. “According to the new Washington Post/Ipsos poll, 69 percent of Americans disapprove of the handling of this conflict. Republicans cannot let this become an endless distraction, especially if they want to win in November.”Returning to “Morning Joe,” co-host Joe Scarborough observed, “That's some Fox News analysis of the political cost for Donald Trump and the Republican Party: the ongoing war in Iran. Fascinating, if you listen to them talking about politics.”“And it's, of course, something that the Iranians always depend on,” he added. “They depend on Americans being strapped down to elections coming up that create false deadlines, that put us in a weak place to negotiate.” - YouTube youtu.be
Jul 21, 2026
Hungarian prosecutors raid Orbán party's data center in embezzlement probe
Prosecutors in Hungary have raided offices housing data servers used by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party
Jul 21, 2026
Rescuers in Afghanistan search for missing and dead after flash floods destroy homes
National disaster agency confirms ‘severe financial and human losses’ in eastern province of NuristanRescue crews in Afghanistan are searching for survivors and bodies among the rubble of houses destroyed by devastating flash floods that authorities said had killed nearly two dozen people and left more than 100 people missing.The Afghanistan national disaster management authority said on Tuesday that 23 people had died, 80 had been injured and more than 100 were missing after floods struck the eastern province of Nuristan on Monday, causing an undetermined number of buildings to collapse. The provincial capital city of Parun was among the areas affected, authorities said. Continue reading...
Jul 21, 2026
Healthy diet too expensive for one in three people globally, UN report finds
Global hunger declined for the third year in a row in 2025 but experts call for action to bring down costs of fruit, vegetables and dairy as report shows 2.69bn people can’t afford to eat wellOne in three people cannot afford to eat a healthy diet, a new report has found, prompting calls for urgent action on food affordability.There are 2.69 billion people unable to afford a diverse diet that meets their energy and nutrient needs, and it will take “immense” amounts of work to achieve the global target of zero hunger by 2030, the annual report from five UN agencies warned. Continue reading...
Jul 20, 2026
‘Literal shortages’ mere weeks away as Trump's war reaches 'catastrophic' heights: analyst
Conservative commentator and journalist Saagar Enjeti sounded the alarm Monday over the United States’ dwindling supply of crude oil reserves, which, should the U.S. war against Iran continue, could bring about “literal shortages” in a matter of weeks, he warned.The U.S.-Iran ceasefire collapsed earlier this month, and both sides have exchanged fire over the past week, with analysts increasingly doubtful a diplomatic resolution is still possible. As a result, the cost of oil surged this past week by more than 15%, and, according to the financial data company Barchart, the U.S. supply of crude oil has reached a 45-year low with just “43 days” of supply remaining.“You need that slack to have confidence in the market that it'll be there when you order what you have – when all that gets taken away, and if it runs to zero, that's when stuff gets absolutely bonkers,” Enjeti said Monday on his political video podcast “Breaking Points.” “It would be basically no confidence in the market – that's when export bans might come into play, literal shortages. This is the reason the Strategic Petroleum Reserve exists in the first place, and to now be at the lowest level since 1983, you just have no runway!”Exacerbating fears of economic turmoil further, the Yemeni military organization the Houthis announced a new maritime blockade Monday on Saudi Arabia, putting at risk “the flow of millions of barrels” of oil. And China, which significantly reduced its oil imports after the United States first attacked Iran in February, is expected to “resume buying soon as it draws down its stockpiles.”“There are two main reasons why gas is still not at catastrophic levels, although as of this morning, gas is right back to $4 a gallon nationally. One was Saudi Arabia: approximately 4.5 million barrels per day were coming out of the Bab Al Mandeb strait. That's roughly 3-4% of the world's oil supply, which the Houthis now say they will blockade,” Enjeti said.“And then secondary is China: Chinese imports are beginning to rebound sharply. China was importing roughly 12 million barrels per day right before the war began. That plummeted below 6 million barrels per day after the outbreak of the war. A resumption means it will put significant pressure on the global oil market.”Enjeti continued, “So, if you have two primary shocks that are already coming into a shocked system – the five-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz – things can get catastrophic very quickly.”
Jul 20, 2026
Trump faces 'nightmare scenario' as enemy launches new oil blockade
The consequences of President Donald Trump’s deeply unpopular war against Iran took a dire turn Monday after the Houthis, a Yemeni political and military organization, announced a new maritime blockade on the U.S. ally Saudi Arabia — a move that could put “at risk the flow of millions of barrels” of oil, according to Bloomberg.“The literal nightmare scenario,” warned conservative journalist and commentator Saagar Enjeti Monday in a social media post on X to his more than 517,000 followers.The maritime blockade was instituted, the Houthis said in a statement, in response to Saudi Arabian attacks on Yemen’s capital city, Sana’a, and will be implemented immediately.According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia has diverted close to three-quarters of its oil exports through the port of Yanbu, which rests in the Red Sea, since the disruption to trade through the Strait of Hormuz. Both Saudi Arabia and Yemen share coastlines along the Red Sea, with the Houthis well positioned to enforce the embargo and disrupt Saudi Arabia’s energy exports.“The announcement adds to a slew of risks facing global oil supplies. Maritime traffic through the Hormuz Strait, where about a fifth of the world’s oil flowed, remains near standstill amid tit-for-tat attacks between the US and Iran,” Bloomberg’s report reads.“Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Houthis have been on the rise since last week when Riyadh attacked the airport in Sana’a. Houthis then attacked a southern Saudi airport, the worst flare-up between them since a ceasefire in 2022.”Amid the recent attacks in the U.S. war against Iran, oil prices have resurged, with the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States reaching $4 again after it rose more than 15% in a single week, the first time the national cost for a gallon of gasoline eclipsed $4 since June 17.The literal nightmare scenario https://t.co/oVMd4IMKvU— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) July 20, 2026
Jul 20, 2026
Tens of thousands of Cockroach movement protesters defy police with Delhi march
Youth-led group calls on education minister to quit in one of India’s largest anti-government rallies in yearsTens of thousands of protesters have defied police orders and descended on Delhi to demand the resignation of India’s education minister in one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.A huge crowd, largely made up of students and gen Z-ers, filled the streets in the heart of India’s capital from early Monday morning shouting anti-government slogans. Hundreds had already camped out overnight. Continue reading...
Jul 20, 2026
CBS's Bari Weiss increases ties to MAGA billionaires — and another media dynasty: report
Despite her high-profile role as the head of CBS News, Bari Weiss is entering into a new dalliance with a conservative billionaire — leaving no doubt where her sympathies lie, according to a new report.Media watchdog Status has uncovered an expanding professional relationship between Weiss and Mathias Döpfner, the chief executive of Axel Springer, the German publishing conglomerate that owns outlets including Politico and Business Insider.Döpfner had previously attempted to recruit Weiss more than a year ago, an effort that failed, Natalie Korach of Status reported. Now Döpfner has invited Weiss to speak at the 2026 Axel Springer Award ceremony in Berlin, where she will share the stage honoring Peter Thiel, the billionaire tech investor and prominent Trump ally.Weiss has accepted the invitation and plans to attend the late September event, delivering remarks to both in-person attendees and livestream viewers. Neither Axel Springer nor CBS News representatives would comment on the arrangement.According to the report, the appointment signals a deepening professional alliance between Weiss and Döpfner that has persisted even after Axel Springer's failed attempt to acquire Weiss's outlet, The Free Press. Korach wrote, "In the year since, Döpfner and Weiss have continued to cross paths across the media circuit, including at the POLITICO-CBS News gathering ahead of White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April, where they were seen mingling alongside other media executives and Donald Trump administration officials."Thiel's selection as honoree reflects Döpfner's broader "ideological repositioning," with Status reporting that, over the past year, the executive has steered Axel Springer decisively rightward, completing acquisitions of conservative outlets like The Telegraph and exploring deals for right-leaning publications including The Dispatch. Döpfner has simultaneously "cultivated" stronger relationships with the Trump White House, including direct meetings with chief of staff Susie Wiles.The decision to celebrate Thiel—whose track record includes backing ventures many in the journalism community view as hostile to press independence—sends a particular message at a moment when the Trump administration is intensifying attacks on media institutions, Status reported.The award ceremony represents yet another signal that Weiss continues aligning herself with an increasingly influential network of conservative billionaires reshaping the media landscape, Korach observed.
Jul 20, 2026
Australia spent more than $9m for each asylum seeker held on Nauru last year – so why can’t they afford to buy food?
Many of the more than 100 people awaiting processing on the tiny Pacific island are skipping meals to make ends meet, a new survey has foundFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMost refugees and asylum seekers held in Nauru’s detention centres say they cannot afford to buy enough food or access clean drinking water, despite the Australian government spending the equivalent of more than $9m per person last financial year.The group of more than 100 people have been sent indefinitely to the tiny Pacific island while they wait for their asylum claims to be processed. Many of the cohort say they are skipping meals to make ends meet, according to a new survey by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) advocacy group. Continue reading...
Jul 20, 2026
‘When I get home, my whole body aches’: extreme heat saps health and wages of India’s poorest workers
Exclusive: Outdoor workers losing up to 9% of income as weather becomes ‘poverty multiplier’, research saysExtreme heat is pushing some of India’s poorest workers further into poverty, with income losses of up to 9% for outdoor workers, new research has found.Analysis done by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that extreme heat is acting as a “poverty multiplier” for hundreds of millions of workers in India’s informal sector. Continue reading...
Jul 23, 2026
US Announces Landmark Nuclear Deal With Saudi Arabia
