Good morning everyone and happy Thursday! It’s a busy morning focused on the Pentagon, which held a crisis meeting to address the shortage of munitions the United States currently has. Trump also accidentally admitted the U.S. is running low on weapons in a late night rant, where he threatened to hunt down leakers. It comes as Republicans will have to reschedule votes because of Mitch McConnell’s absence (I’ll be following up on his hospital status today). I also spoke with top national security and foreign relations senator Jeanne Shaheen this morning about all things Iran, where the billions we’ve received from Venezuela have gone, and much more.
A couple of quick things. First, many of you have noticed I’ve posted less on TikTok. That’s because my posts are being completely throttled and taken down, which is why I’m investing heavily here instead.
Also, a few of you have unsubscribed. Someone cancelled their subscription to my Substack and gave feedback that matters to me. I talk about my family and working with a four month old because it’s authentically me. It’s my life, and I love this job more than anything.
Here’s the news:
United States munitions:
Trump lashed out in a 12:34 a.m. Truth Social rant about “treasonous leakers” after the Washington Post reported he’d berated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Camp David over concerns the Iran war had seriously depleted US arms stockpiles. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had initially dismissed the story as “100% fake news,” but Trump’s own furious response, insisting the US has “massive amounts” of munitions “especially of certain types,” effectively confirmed the clash had happened. He also claimed weapons were being shipped in as needed and that defense companies were building record numbers of plants, while vowing to hunt down the “leakers” and pursue “long term jail sentences” against them.
According to the Post, Hegseth reportedly shifted blame for the shortages and communication failures onto his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, who received an angry call from Trump on Friday evening and then hastily convened a “crisis” meeting with top Pentagon officials that same night. Trump reportedly told Feinberg the shortages were affecting his decisions on whether to expand military operations in Iran, pressed him on how the Pentagon would fix the problem, and threatened to fire him during the call. Separately, Hegseth had already clashed publicly with CNN this week over a broadcast banner reporting the US had used nearly 80% of its air-defense interceptors in the Iran war, calling the report “NOT TRUE.”
This is only the latest in a string of embarrassing leaks to plague the Trump administration this year, including revelations from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s book “Regime Change” about secret Situation Room meetings held without Trump’s knowledge to contain fallout from the botched release of the Epstein files. That book excerpt reportedly triggered a “massive leak hunt” inside the White House, led in part by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel. A separate leak controversy emerged after Trump abruptly switched planes returning from a NATO summit in Turkey, reportedly over security concerns about his Qatar-gifted Air Force One, prompting another internal investigation into who disclosed the information to the press.
Families of sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, now nine months into a deployment and five months into combat operations against Iran, are raising alarms about exhaustion, safety, and poor living conditions on the carrier, including moldy showers, broken laundry facilities, food shortages, and shortages of basic supplies like toothpaste and soap. The crew has had only two brief port calls since leaving San Diego in November, including a record-breaking 208 consecutive days at sea before finally pulling into Oman in July, and multiple family members describe worsening morale, with one saying the ship’s doctor warned people could start “losing their minds” without a port stop soon.
Navy 5th Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Joseph Hontz acknowledged periodic supply shortages and water issues but insisted the ship remains fully mission-capable, disputing claims of holes in the flight deck and chronic problems, while families, including some who voted for Trump, say the reports are accurate and are questioning both the deployment’s toll and the broader necessity of the war. Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., whose district includes the Lincoln’s home port, said she’s deeply concerned about the crew’s mental health and called on Trump to end the war and bring service members home, as the Lincoln continues supporting airstrikes on Iranian military targets and enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran war:
Strait of Hormuz talks: Iran says a deal with Oman to reopen the strait of Hormuz is nearing completion, with reports indicating Tehran would control inbound shipping traffic while Oman oversees outbound vessels, a major shift from the strait’s pre-war status as an open international waterway carrying a fifth of global oil and gas. Iranian sources pushed back on Trump’s claims that a deal is imminent, saying key details remain unresolved, and Iran has said reopening the strait depends on the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. Trump told Fox News the strait “is going to be open very soon.” Meanwhile, Houthi forces in Yemen said they struck two more Saudi oil tankers, the eighth and ninth since their blockade began, and shipping traffic through both Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait dropped sharply. Pakistan, a mediator in the broader conflict, said it hopes the Hormuz deal will help revive stalled US-Iran talks.
Lebanon-Israel violence escalates: Two Israeli reserve soldiers were killed and four seriously wounded in an explosion in southern Lebanon’s Majdal Zoun, marking the first Israeli deaths since June’s fragile truce with Hezbollah. Separately, an Israeli strike on the town of Tebnine killed one person and wounded 12, while overnight strikes on Burj al-Shamali near Tyre injured eight more, prompting the Israeli military to issue its first evacuation order in over a month for the village of Mansouri. Despite the violence, a third day of US-mediated ceasefire talks between Lebanon and Israel resumed in Rome, though Israel had cut short the previous day’s session by three hours, citing alleged “misleading leaks” from the Lebanese side. Rights groups also concluded that an April Israeli strike that killed journalist Amal Khalil and injured colleague Zeinab Faraj was a war crime, alleging Israel knew they were civilians and delayed rescue efforts for hours. Turkey’s foreign minister and a coalition of regional powers, including Jordan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, jointly condemned Israel’s escalating attacks.
West Bank settler charged: Israeli prosecutors charged settler Yinon Levi with reckless manslaughter, armed trespassing, and property damage over the July 2025 killing of Palestinian community leader Awdah Hathaleen, a teacher and activist featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land.” Rights group B’Tselem called it the first Israeli indictment for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank since the October 2023 attacks, noting settlers and soldiers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in the territory since then. Levi had previously been sanctioned by the US and other Western governments over settler violence, but Trump lifted those sanctions after taking office. Separately, 19 Democratic senators and representatives sent a letter accusing the Trump administration of fostering “a climate of impunity and unbridled violence” in the West Bank, demanding restored sanctions on extremist settlers and independent investigations into the deaths of nine American citizens killed there since 2022. The letter argues Trump’s promise not to allow Israeli annexation of the West Bank has been undermined by settler expansion on the ground.
Gaza tensions and regional reaction: Turkey’s foreign minister accused Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of not wanting peace, pointing to continued Israeli military actions in Gaza and Jerusalem even after Trump’s announced roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza peace plan. His comments echoed a joint statement from the foreign ministers of Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt condemning what they called Israel’s escalatory attacks in Gaza. The criticism reflects broader regional frustration that ceasefire and peace efforts are being undermined by continued violence on multiple fronts, including Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza simultaneously. This coincides with the deepening Hormuz standoff and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, illustrating how the conflict has metastasized across several fronts at once. Diplomatic efforts, including the Rome talks and Pakistan-mediated Iran negotiations, continue in parallel even as strikes and casualties mount on the ground.
Other news:
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who lives next door to Mitch McConnell, admitted he still knows almost nothing about the 84-year-old Kentucky senator’s condition nearly two months after McConnell suffered an apparent fall and cardiac arrest on June 14, saying simply “he’s still in the hospital, doing rehab” and “I don’t know anything.” Tuberville warned McConnell’s prolonged absence is hampering the GOP’s ability to pass Trump’s agenda in the Senate, potentially delaying votes on a third reconciliation bill and the confirmation of Acting AG Todd Blanche, since Republicans may lack the votes without McConnell present. McConnell’s office, led by camera-shy chief of staff Terry Carmack, has fueled speculation by offering minimal updates, releasing only two “proof-of-life” photos in July showing McConnell seated with wife Elaine Chao, with still no video or images of him standing or speaking. Tuberville had already called weeks earlier for the office to release a video, saying “somebody needs to do something,” and reiterated that McConnell would need to return before the Senate’s five-week August recess begins Friday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney turned a teleprompter malfunction into a jab at Trump during a Toronto housing policy press conference Wednesday, quipping, “Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy” after announcing the technical glitch. The line referenced Trump’s UN General Assembly speech last September, when a stalled escalator and teleprompter issue derailed what was billed as his major foreign policy address, prompting him to complain on stage and later claim on Truth Social he’d suffered “three very sinister events,” including a supposedly disabled sound system, while demanding a UN investigation and arrests. The UN dismissed the claims, saying the escalator’s safety mechanism had been triggered by a videographer with Trump’s own delegation and that operating the teleprompter had been Trump’s team’s responsibility.
At a Trump event at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas Wednesday, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo was met with jeering from someone in the crowd as he began speaking about Officer Austin Abdelnabi, a Las Vegas police officer killed in the line of duty. Lombardo paused to address the reaction directly, saying “No, no, we’re not booing. We’re not booing him. He’s the officer that passed away here recently,” before leading the audience in a moment of silence. Abdelnabi was fatally shot Tuesday while responding to a call in the southeast valley; Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the officer was ambushed by the shooter, who was then killed by police. The moment happened just ahead of Trump’s appearance at the event, which was focused on his “no tax on tips” policy push ahead of the midterms.
NATO says it’s working to urgently get Ukraine the air defenses it needs after Kyiv failed to shoot down a single Russian ballistic missile during a Wednesday attack that killed at least 17 people, even as Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 98 of 115 drones launched overnight. Zelenskyy warned that Russia is ramping up missile production ahead of winter, when Moscow typically renews strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid, with an adviser estimating Russia can now launch 100 ballistic missiles a month; Zelenskyy also suggested stalled Western missile supplies might be a deliberate pressure tactic to make Ukraine “more willing to compromise” in peace talks. The core problem is a severe shortage of Patriot interceptors, the only system capable of downing Russian Iskander-M, S-400, and Zircon missiles, which Zelenskyy says has been driven largely by the US-Israel war on Iran; the AP estimates the US Patriot inventory has fallen at least 65% since before that conflict began, even as the Pentagon insists its stockpiles remain deep.
The U.S. suspended all government operations in Michoacan, Mexico, citing a “threat to U.S. interests,” including a halt to the avocado inspections required for exports to the United States. Michoacan’s governor said the pause was meant to protect workers following recent cartel-related arrests, notably that of “El Poncho” (Alfonso Fernández Magallón), a local cartel leader in the avocado-growing region around Los Reyes, who had a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head. Michoacan supplies roughly 80% of U.S. avocado imports, a $3.65 billion industry in 2025 that supports about 200,000 local jobs, and exports have surged 35% this year, making any disruption to the “green gold” trade economically significant. State security officials said 300 personnel were deployed to the area as a precaution, even though no direct incidents involving inspectors have been reported, and this isn’t the first time cartel violence and extortion threats have forced a suspension of U.S. inspections in the region.
A new survey of over 30,000 Americans by the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility and the WK Kellogg Foundation found that 60% define a better life primarily as achieving greater financial security, meaning being able to afford basics like housing, food, and healthcare without constant worry. Despite that modest-sounding goal, 40% of respondents describe themselves as “financially vulnerable” or “struggling to meet basic needs,” with 90% citing grocery and food costs as their top concern, followed by housing, transportation, and healthcare, a finding that echoes a recent Harris poll showing 95% of Americans believe the country is in an affordability crisis. This financial strain stands in stark contrast to record highs in the stock market and surging AI investment, prompting McKinsey’s JP Julien to note that macroeconomic indicators alone don’t capture how people actually experience the economy day to day. While 60% of respondents said government at the local, state, or federal level bears responsibility for helping people get ahead, only 30% said government institutions have actually been helpful, with friends, family, and employers ranked as more meaningful sources of support.
North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward waters off its east coast on Thursday from the Wonsan area, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the latest in a series of weapons tests this year. Japan’s Defense Ministry confirmed detecting a possible ballistic missile launch with no impact in or near Japan, while South Korea said it has stepped up surveillance and is coordinating closely with the U.S. and Japan. The test comes as North Korea continues expanding its nuclear and missile arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019, with experts saying Kim seeks international recognition as a nuclear state to pressure for sanctions relief. Kim has increasingly shifted focus toward naval capabilities, including a nuclear-powered submarine and, last month, tests of a nuclear-capable cruise missile aboard a new destroyer, while also calling for ICBMs capable of underwater launches and deepening military ties with Russia through weapons and troop support for its war in Ukraine.
Australia granted citizenship to Iranian soccer players Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, who sought asylum in March after an Iranian state TV commentator branded them “wartime traitors” for skipping their national anthem at the Women’s Asian Cup. Both women, now playing for Brisbane Roar in Australia’s A-League, described the citizenship ceremony as one of the happiest moments of their lives, though Immigration Minister Tony Burke’s office declined to explain why their process was fast-tracked, since refugees typically must hold a valid visa for four years first. The pair were among seven Iranian players who initially accepted asylum, though five later reversed course and returned to the team for undisclosed reasons; their case drew international attention, including public calls from President Trump for asylum to be granted and a phone call he made to Australian PM Anthony Albanese on the matter. Their fast-tracked citizenship could also make them eligible to play international soccer for Australia going forward.
A federal judge dismissed Alex Murdaugh’s lawsuit seeking $600,000 in legal fees from former court clerk Becky Hill, whose misconduct led South Carolina’s Supreme Court to overturn his murder convictions earlier this year. Judge Richard Gergel ruled there was no causal link between Murdaugh’s legal expenses and Hill’s actions, since she played no role in initiating the criminal charges against him; Murdaugh’s attorneys filed notice to appeal within hours. Despite the overturned convictions, Murdaugh remains imprisoned, serving concurrent 40-year federal and 27-year state sentences after pleading guilty to stealing roughly $12 million from his clients, with his murder retrial now scheduled for April. Investigators say Murdaugh, addicted to opioids at the time, killed his wife and son to divert attention as his financial schemes were unraveling, a case that has since spawned a streaming miniseries, bestselling books, and numerous podcasts.
The U.S. military confirmed there was no white phosphorus leak at Osan Air Base in South Korea, days after Pyeongtaek city officials urged residents to evacuate and avoid skin exposure over a suspected leak on July 28. Investigators determined the crystallization and residue found during a routine munitions inspection was actually non-hazardous surface corrosion from environmental exposure over time, not the controversial incendiary substance, and no injuries occurred. City officials had lifted the evacuation alert after the military completed decontamination work, and the base commander thanked the community for its patience while the matter was resolved. The incident comes amid persistent anti-American sentiment tied to the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, underscored this week by eight South Korean students detained for allegedly breaking into the base while shouting anti-U.S. slogans.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced that at least 308 people abducted in separate attacks in northern Nigeria were rescued, calling it the “largest rescue operation ever” carried out by security forces in a single day. The rescued include 163 people taken from the Woro community in Kwara state back in February and 145 kidnapped mostly from Niger state, all freed from a forest and now receiving medical care; the government did not disclose details of the operation itself. Tinubu praised the “intelligence-led operation” as evidence of improved coordination among security services and commended the personnel involved. Abductions, often targeting schools, are common in Nigeria, where armed groups known as bandits, largely former herders who clashed with farming communities over resources, carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom across the northwest and north-central regions, compounding a separate insurgency that has persisted in the northeast for more than a decade.
See you soon.
— Aaron
