Top World News

A conservative columnist for the Washington Post is not happy with his employer's publishing a weekend bombshell report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing stiff opposition from Pentagon generals as the Iran war drags on.According to the exclusive from the Post’s Alex Horton and Tara Copp, a handful of U.S. military leaders have warned Hegseth that “prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable” and puts the military at risk should another threat emerge elsewhere — “including the U.S. homeland.”“Leaders of the U.S. European Command, the U.S. Pacific Command and the U.S. Southern Command, along with the Navy’s top admiral, responded with what is characterized in the SDOB as a ‘non-concur,’ those familiar with the assessment said — meaning they disagree with the secretary’s order to extend their forces but will execute it nevertheless,” the report continued.Marc Thiessen, who joined the Post as a columnist after a stint as a spokesperson for Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) and serving as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, announced he wants a criminal investigation of Horton and Copps sources -- leaving open whether they should be prosecuted also.On X, he linked to the WaPo announcement of the “exclusive " story and accused, “Whoever leaked this is a traitor and ought to be prosecuted.”That falls in line with Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who is angling to be the new Army Secretary despite a history of domestic abuse allegations, who issued a statement saying, “publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime” and “a betrayal of the force.”The Post picked a side and went with the reporters, issuing a statement that reads, in part: “The assertion that such a publication is a crime is both incorrect and irresponsible.”

Concerns were raised on Monday morning that 80-year-old President Donald Trump is having problems understanding what is going on in his war on Iran.Sunday evening, the Pentagon confirmed an attack on Larak Island in the Gulf of Hormuz, reportedly taking out Iranian rocket launchers designed to disperse sea mines into the waterway.According to the Washington Post, “The exchange of fire was the first in a month between the two sides as the Trump administration seeks to navigate a ceasefire.”Hours later, Trump posted an AI “slop” video of the attack on his Truth Social account; however, he identified the besieged island as Kharg Island, home to the vast majority of the country’s oil exports.According to MS NOW’s Vaughan Hillyard, that led to some distress over a possible major escalation — but now there is a belief that the president did not comprehend what is going on.Speaking with MS NOW host Stephanie Ruhle, he explained, ”I think it's worth noting there, you mentioned the AI video of attempting to bomb Kharg Island that the president posted overnight. We were actually just messaging, a few of us on our team, and we believe that the president of the United States has conflated Kharg Island with Larak Island, which is where the launchers that IRGC launchers were struck.”‘"They are 410 miles away, for another geography lesson, Kharg Island from Larak Island. But it seems like perhaps the president of the United States got confused which islands his military generals were talking to him about here.” - YouTube youtu.be

President Donald Trump's executive assistant Natalie Harp faced criticism over a Truth Social post claiming a critical Iranian oil island was being destroyed, which a U.S. official said was not targeted.A U.S. official said the overnight strikes did not target Kharg Island, Reuters correspondent Idrees Ali reported Monday morning. A post claiming the Island had been blown to "smithereens" went up on Trump's Truth Social account at 10:08 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, hours after American forces struck Iran.A 10-second video of a burning refinery complex paired with the post included the caption, "Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!"Phillips P. O'Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, aimed his response at Harp rather than at the president."Poor Natalie got confused between Kharg Island and Larak Island--worshipping can be such exhausting business," O'Brien wrote on X Monday morning.Harp has been reported for months to be the aide who physically publishes material to the president's account. The Wall Street Journal reported in May that Harp supplies Trump with stacks of printed drafts and waits for his approval before posting, often during overnight hours.The 34-year-old is a former conservative television anchor who joined Trump's circle ahead of the 2024 election. Colleagues have nicknamed her the "human printer" for the portable printer she carries, the Journal reported.Harp "plays into the less productive and more troublesome parts of his nature, putting things in front of him that aren't vetted," one of those four people told MS NOW.One national security official raised concerns that Harp's proximity to Trump gave her access to more sensitive information than anyone else in his orbit, MS NOW reported. Colleagues had made "subtle moves" to create distance between Harp and the president, another of the four people told the outlet.The criticism resumed Monday morning, hours after the post appeared, as commentators connected it to that earlier reporting."Trump is winning the Iran War in the AI world Natalie Harp has created for him," MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski wrote on X.Marcy Wheeler, a national security journalist, tied the post directly to the question of who is running the war."How does the Commander in Chief post AI slop claiming to have 'blown to smithereens' a sensitive island when that's not what was struck at all?" Wheeler wrote. "What OTHER key actions in this war is he entirely confused about? Is the Commander in Chief even in charge? If not, who is?"American forces did strike an Iranian island on Sunday, but it was not the one named in the post.U.S. Central Command announced strikes on two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, a U.S. official said, marking the first American strikes on Iran in more than a month.Analysts have long treated a strike on Kharg's oil facilities as a far greater escalation than one on a launcher site, AP reported, because it would cut off the revenue that funds the Iranian government.Harp's role became a public argument two weeks ago, when a single line from a Democratic senator drew a sustained response from the White House.Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) named Harp during a rally in Atlanta on Aug. 16, in a passage otherwise devoted to the president's priorities."He doesn't want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace, gifted by the Emir of Qatar," Ossoff said, according to Forbes.Outrage from the White House reached a fever pitch for more than a week, involving the president, his spokespeople, and his family. Trump called Ossoff a "Pee-wee Herman look-alike" when a reporter asked about the remark and did not address Harp directly, Forbes reported. The White House then attacked the reporter who asked the question, CNN's Kristen Holmes.White House spokesperson Davis Ingle called Ossoff's comments "cringeworthy" and criticized the senator's voting record, he told TIME."It's been amazing to watch this White House melt down over this all week," Ossoff later told MS NOW.The response generated weeks of coverage examining Harp's access that the original remark had not. Posts from Trump's account have been deleted before after drawing complaints, including two involving artificial intelligence.Harp posted a video containing racist imagery depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, along with an AI-generated image portraying Trump as a Christ-like figure, MS NOW reported.Both posts were deleted following bipartisan backlash, and Trump told reporters on Feb. 6 that he did not post the Obama video, saying "somebody else" did and that it was "slipped and missed" during review.Twelve days later, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump's posts "should be taken as the policy of the Trump administration" because they came "straight from the horse's mouth," The Independent reported."When you see it on Truth Social, you know it's directly from President Trump," Leavitt said at the Feb. 18 briefing.

Cape Town stunt sparks major debate over safety risksAirlink insists flyby conducted according to regulationsA pre-game stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a stadium in South Africa drew huge cheers from the estimated crowd of 56,000 people, but also sparked a major debate over safety risks. The flyby by two Embraer jets, operated by the local airline Airlink, happened on Saturday before the second rugby union Test between South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town.The flight tracking service Flightradar24 estimated that the lead jet passed just 41-46 feet (12-14 metres) above the roof of Cape Town Stadium, with the crowd and the world’s top-ranked rugby teams below. The second jet, which was very close behind, flew through a cloud of pink dust that shot up from the stadium roof as part of the show. Continue reading...

The United States conducted its first offensive operation in Iran in almost a month on Sunday by striking multiple sites where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had stored rocket launchers, according to reports. A U.S. official who spoke with multiple news outlets said the strikes occurred on Larak Island, which sits in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that is responsible for about 20% of the global energy trade. The official told CNN that "U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway."The new round of strikes marks the first time in a month that the U.S. has conducted strikes against Iran. It happened at a time when peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iranian officials have almost completely broken down, according to reports. CNN reported that the IRGC claimed the attack led to the deaths of “a number of our fighters and fellow countrymen.”

President Donald Trump erupted Sunday in a lengthy rant against Canada amid the ongoing trade war between Washington and Ottawa, a dispute that experts warn could soon “spiral” and cost tens of thousands of jobs, or more.“I don’t want Canadian cars, I don’t want Canadian parts, I don’t want Canadian anything. They’ve been ripping us off for decades, and it’s going to stop,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “This should have happened long ago with other Presidents, just as stopping Iran should have happened long ago. They want to be treated like a State, but they aren’t one. I deal with the Leadership of many Countries, but I find Canada to be the worst. They are entitled no longer!”Trump imposed a 50% tariff on $20 billion of Canadian goods earlier this month after Canadian officials refused to cave to his administration’s demands, which Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney claimed would have stripped Canada of its sovereignty as it relates to its ability to trade with other nations.Carney has responded by vowing to match Trump’s tariffs “dollar for dollar,” with Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods appearing specifically designed to target states “with competitive midterm elections” for maximum pressure, CBS News reported.In a follow-up post, Trump urged “all" Canadian companies to move to the United States “immediately” to avoid his new tariffs.“Many of them are Companies that moved out years ago due to stupid U.S. Leadership,” Trump wrote. “When you move back, there are no TARIFFS!”

The U.S. Military has turned on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the mounting war in Iran, according to a new report. Several U.S. military leaders warned Hegseth this month that prolonging President Donald Trump's war with Iran would put the U.S. homeland at risk — essentially arguing the conflict is unsustainable, sources told the Washington Post."Overall, the tenor from the military leadership is that the ongoing Iran operation, having reached the six-month mark, has been 'too much for too long,'" an insider told the Post. "Certain generals and admirals were more expansive and frank than is usual in telling Hegseth they disagreed with orders to keep providing equipment and personnel when the operation’s trajectory remains uncertain."The Army, Navy and Air Force and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations abroad delivered these warnings to Hegseth via the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, sources told the Post.Of concern was Trump's efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which have necessitated military action remain a possibility, according to the report. That means U.S. Central Command, the headquarters responsible for prosecuting the war, must keep 50,000 troops on alert for months, the Post reported."The Aug. 14 orders book directs some troops deployed in the Middle East to remain there through September and some others into 2027," the report stated. "The prospect of extending those forces further compelled military leaders to voice their concern, these people said."Meanwhile, U.S. operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America have had lost ships, aircraft and other equipment to the conflict, limiting their ability to conduct missions, the report stated.The Navy, in particular, said it has had to stretch capacity to keep up with Trump's wartime demands, according to the Post.The warnings reveal just what a precarious situation Trump has found himself in, the report concludes. "The military’s warning to Hegseth...offers new insight into the administration’s dilemma as Trump seeks to end the conflict on terms favorable to the United States," the report states."Iran, cognizant of the war’s unpopularity with most Americans and its mounting toll on the U.S. arsenal, refuses to capitulate."

A Michigan lawmaker enraged her MS NOW interviewer Sunday morning as her commentary on President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada left him declaring, "a pox on the federal government!"Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) delved into the many reasons Trump's 50 percent tariffs on America's northern neighbor has hurt and outraged voters in her state — and left Eugene Daniels fuming. "There are real economic consequences, but they're national security consequences, too," Dingell said. "And we need to be worried about those."Dingell proceeded to dive into the data.She noted 500,000 U.S. jobs rely on building parts that go into Canadian vehicles and the number of Canadian visitors in the U.S. and sunk 25 percent under Trump, from 39 million in 2024 to 29 million in 2025.Michigan households pay roughly $5600 a month in Trump tariffs, according to an Axios report this week, the highest number of any state in the nation, Dingell told Daniels. He was stunned. "If it was just tariffs that Michiganders had to worry about, it'd be one thing," he said. "But it's tariffs, it's gas, it's beef, it's fertilizer, it's diesel. Like, it's all of the things that people use to live their lives."Daniels argued these problems had put Republicans in "dangerous territory" ahead of the upcoming presidential election in 2028 — and Dingell agreed. She cited a recent appearance at a local parade where outraged Michigan residents called on her to "protect Canada.""People were screaming," Dingell said. "It really struck me...People are mad."Then Dingell shared the experience of a union worker who has three jobs and can't afford gas."Three jobs?" Daniels replied. "That is insane... it is a pox on the federal government!"