Francesca Hong Wants To Be America’s First Socialist Governor

Lever Time
Jul 21, 2026
The Democratic Socialists of America are winning big this summer — but can a DSA candidate land the governor’s seat in a swing state like Wisconsin?

David Sirota and Natalie Bettendorf

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Iran Has Figured Out How to Overwhelm U.S. Air Defenses

As the U.S. runs short of interceptor missiles, Iran is carrying out strikes with a mix of attack drones and advanced ballistic missiles

Nick Turse July 28 2026 

As munitions streaked through the night sky, a plaintive cry like a whale song echoed in the darkness. U.S. troops grabbed their gear and headed for shelter as the warning sirens rang out, a leaked video shows.

Teen Colt Gray sentenced to life without parole for deadly mass shooting at his Georgia high school

Two teachers and two students were killed in the Apalachee High School shooting
By Meredith Deliso
July 28, 2026, 2:15 PM

A teenage boy who carried out a mass shooting at his Georgia high school, killing two students and two teachers, was sentenced to life without parole, with the judge calling his actions "deliberate, contemplated evil."

Colt Gray, 16, faced a sentence of life with or without parole after pleading guilty to all 55 counts against him, including murder and aggravated assault.

Trump's Bending the Law to Rig the Elections in His Favor

July 28, 2026

He Found a Judge to Allow His Voting Coup to Move Forward

Source: The New Republic and agencies

In a significant setback for voters, a recent ruling by a federal appeals court paves the way for President Donald Trump to advance his agenda aimed at restricting mail-in voting. With the midterm elections just around the corner, this development raises serious concerns about election integrity.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a lower court's decision on Tuesday, asserting that a Democratic lawsuit challenging Trump's executive order on mail-in voting was premature. This ruling could have dire consequences for the upcoming elections, as Trump's order mandates the creation of a national citizenship registry by the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, it instructs the U.S. Postal Service to deny mail-in ballots in states that do not comply with federal voter registration data sharing.

Rescuers race to find survivors in collapsed shopping mall after Japan earthquake

At least two people were killed in the collapse, and dozens were injured after a major quake hit the Kumamoto prefecture, the country's public broadcaster said

Updated 5:58 PM EDT, Tue July 28, 2026
Here's the latest

• Earthquake hits: A 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture has left many people trapped after a shopping mall partially collapsed. Several are also unaccounted for at a paper factory and a highway bridge has buckled. Japan’s prime minister said authorities will work “through the night” to coordinate the rescue operations. Track the impact in maps and charts here.
• Several reported dead: Two people have died following the shopping mall collapse, according to the country’s public broadcaster NHK. Earlier, CNN affiliate TV Asahi cited police sources as saying that several people had been killed. NHK previously said 20 to 30 employees couldn’t be contacted after the collapse.
• Dozens injured: One hospital had reported more than 50 injuries, NHK said. Several people on a high-speed train at the time of the quake were ⁠also injured, according to Nikkei newspaper.
• Tremor warning: Residents who felt the biggest tremors ​must be alert to further strong quakes for about a week as well as the risk of landslides, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Kumamoto has been hit by powerful earthquakes before. In 2016, a series of quakes in the prefecture killed 275 people in one of Japan’s costliest natural disasters of recent decades.

This El Niño Is on Track to Become the Strongest on Record by a ‘Mind-Blowing Margin’

The latest forecasts point to a gob-smackingly strong El Niño 

with possible $10 trillion impact, scientists say

BY ELLYN LAPOINTE

PUBLISHED JULY 27, 2026, 4:35 PM ET

READING TIME 3 MINUTES

Scientists have warned for months that a “super” El Niño is brewing. Now, forecast models suggest it could eclipse every event on record.

The latest projections show that the peak of this El Niño is set to surpass the previous record-holder by “a truly mind-blowing margin”, Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the non-profit research organization Berkeley Earth, wrote in a blog post earlier this month.

Pentagon calls for cheaper long-range strike weapons, with testing in just 3 months

By Michael Peck

Jul 27, 2026, 11:55 AM

With the U.S. running low on expensive guided munitions, the Pentagon is pushing yet another project to develop cheap, long-range weapons that can be mass produced.

But this time, the Pentagon is in a hurry. The Iran war has exposed the problem of relying on costly long-range missiles such as the Tomahawk. To remedy that, DoD is putting out a call for long-range, autonomously guided Ground-Based Affordable Mass, or GBAM, weapons that cost less than $250,000 apiece.

From Garpiya drones to a Starlink rival: Europe strikes at Russia’s military might

 By Angela Skujins

Published on 27/07/2026

The EU’s latest sanctions package against Russia targets 56 military-industrial entities and individuals, including long-range drones and communication networks. Experts say the measures could bolster not just Ukraine’s battlefield efforts, but also Europe's future security.

Dozens of defence-related companies and nationals propping up the Kremlin’s war machine have been targeted in the 21st package of sanctions against Russia.

Netanyahu joins Trump for high-stakes meeting at the White House

NBC NEWS

The sit-down came at a politically fraught moment 

for the Israeli prime minister

Updated July 28, 2026, 9:39 AM PDT

By Monica Alba, Megan Brand, and Dareh Gregorian

President Donald Trump met with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday in a high-stakes sit-down that comes at a politically fraught moment for the Israeli prime minister.

The two leaders had been expected to discuss the war with Iran, the framework agreement for peace in Lebanon and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, a White House official told NBC News prior to the meeting. Trump earlier Tuesday met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, the official said.

The Venezuela Oil Account: Donald Trump's Takeover of a Sovereign Nation’s Resources

Story by Yiannis Damellos

July 27, 2026

Trump says U.S. has sold more than $13 billion of Venezuelan oil since Maduro’s capture 

You can call it Imperialism, which involves using power to control or influence other countries. It may also be described as the Occupation or Control of Resource Extraction and Exports - after seizing control of those resources and trade mechanisms. If local institutions persist while real control is exercised externally, it can be termed Neocolonialism. Where I come from, we call it Looting or Theft. One thing is for sure: the actions of the U.S. in Venezuela—specifically, seizing control of exports and revenue streams—align with what many would label as “Resource Imperialism” or Coercive Control.

Finland’s radical answer to renewable energy’s biggest headache: The world’s largest sand battery

Energy
Published Sat, Jul 25 2026 1:29 AM EDT

Updated Mon, Jul 27 2026 4:46 AM EDT
Sam Meredith

Key Points

• A small Finnish town has turned to the world’s largest commercial sand battery to tackle a major hurdle in the energy transition: intermittency.

• The giant sand battery can cover almost one month of the town’s heating demands in the summer and as much as one week in the winter.

• “Hopefully a big portion of those storages could be sand battery-type of storages where we don’t need rare earth materials,” Tommi Eronen, CEO of Polar Night Energy, told CNBC.

Iran's "Five Armies"

 Extensions 

Apart from losing control of Syria in December 2024, these armies are in place 

and appear whenever Tehran orders a strike

July 27, 2026, 16:24

 PRINT EDITION 

Shortly before dying during a US special forces operation at Baghdad airport, the head of the Revolutionary Guards boasted that he was leaving "Five Armies" as a legacy to Tehran. These are: Iran's armed forces, the Revolutionary Guards, the Iraqi Shiite Militia, Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, and the Houthi forces in Northern Yemen.

Trump’s nuclear plan could rewrite the rules on radiation exposure

THE INDEPENDENT

Story by Jennifer McDermott

The nation's top nuclear regulator is preparing to scrap a decades-old safety rule that has helped keep radiation exposure as low as possible, a move that is drawing praise from the nuclear industry and concern from some safety experts.

Angus Reid Institute: Canadians prefer stronger action over negotiation with the U.S.

As most Canadians rebuke Trump's tariff threat and call for retaliation, they are also worried that Prime Minister Marc Carney may not be able to strike a favorable deal this time around

By Yiannis Damellos

July 27, 2026

As Canadians find themselves in yet another trade standoff with President Donald Trump, there is a mix of concern and hope regarding Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ability to navigate these intense negotiations. Having previously served as the Governor of the Bank of England during the tumultuous Brexit discussions, Carney is well-versed in the complexities of high-stakes bargaining.

Netanyahu sent his minions to terrorize the Palestinians and burn their mosques at the West Bank

July 27, 2026 | 7:16 AM PDT | 

Sources: Reuters and Associated Press

TAL, West Bank — Palestinians say they are at a breaking point as they are defending their properties and sacred places against settlers attempting to expel them from their native land in the West Bank. Although Netanyahu's apartheid regime labels the incidents as terrorism, independent eyewitnesses have observed and recorded settler attacks, burnt mosques, and destruction of Arab property following these confrontations. The expansion of settlements is accelerating ahead of October elections, as Netanyahu pushes for stricter control over the West Bank to increase his popularity. 

Ukraine and Iran Conflicts Converge in the Waters of the Caspian Sea

July 27, 2026

The ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran have converged, much to the dismay of the oil markets and the delight of the military-industrial complex, forcing many analysts to describe it as the beginning of a wider and more perilous conflict.

Over the weekend, tensions flared when Ukrainian forces targeted an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, further aggravating an already volatile situation and leading to accusations from both sides.

Fugitive in 1973 torture and murder of iconic singer Victor Jara is captured in Chile

July 27, 2026 / 8:32 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

Add CBS News on Google

Police have captured a fugitive who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering iconic singer-songwriter Victor Jara in 1973, during Chile's military dictatorship, a Justice Department statement said Sunday.

Author of songs such as "El derecho de vivir en paz" (The Right to Live in Peace), Jara was a major figure of New Chilean Song, a musical and social movement of the 1960s.

Europe wildfire in pictures: Gigantic fire cloud engulfing France, Spain regions

Europe News
Published Mon, Jul 27 2026, 7:40 AM EDT Upd. 48 Min Ago
Sawdah Bhaimiya

Key Points

• Europe’s monster wildfire is a rare and dangerous type of fire that can create its own thunderclouds.
• The wildfire has spread from France’s Bordeaux region to Western Madrid, claiming hundreds of thousands of acres of land.
• More than 300,000 people have been forced to evacuate in what’s been described as an “unprecedented” situation.