Political donations from billionaires and their family members made up 19% of all reported federal campaign contributions in 2024, the New York Times found. Donations from 300 billionaires and their immediate family members to federal elections in 2024 totaled $3 billion, either directly or through political action committees. read more
The USS Gerald Ford is headed for service repairs in Crete days after experiencing an hours long fire while deployed in the Red Sea for service in the Iran war. The aircraft carrier will spend over a week in port at the Naval Support Activity Souda Bay for repairs, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. The ship's move from the Middle East comes after a fire that started in the laundry area on Thursday reportedly burned through part of the ship's sleeping quarters and lasted about 30 hours before it was extinguished. read more
European leaders have rejected demands by US President Donald Trump to help ensure freedom of navigation in the key waterway. read more
America is going through something similar to 9/11 and will be far more influential. The damage to our national security, our economy, our relationship to the rest of the world cannot be understated. This is truly the death of the American empire. We are showing ourselves to be a paper tiger. We have denigrated our allies for the past 14 months and now they are saying F U. We are destroying the economies of ME countries who were desperately trying to move from a post-colonial world to economies based on something other than natural resource exploitation. read more
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack. read more
Barbados-flagged tanker abandons Hormuz Strait bid after Iran forces went into alert: IRGC
The IRGC says a Barbados-flagged oil tanker retreated after initially attempting to head towards the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement carried by state media, the IRGC said the giant vessel changed course after Iranian forces entered a state of alert and took a position of action.