Good evening everyone. This will be my last update for the evening because I waited until all the facts about what happened in Virginia and Michigan today were clear before sending this out. All in all, it was a horrific day in America, with an attempted attack on a synagogue in Michigan and a school shooting in Virginia. Meanwhile, the White House press secretary admitted for the first time that there have never been any threats from Iran to the U.S. homeland even as the war expands overseas.
On a personal note, as I mention in the video, I know how hard it is to consume all this news. Some of you have even canceled your subscriptions because it has simply become too much. I read all of your comments, and I respond to as many as I can personally. It is okay to unplug for a bit. But know that I will be here every day, multiple times a day, giving you the news no matter what. I may be numb to the news, but that does not mean you have to be.
Here’s the news:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted today that there was no imminent threat to the United States from Iran:
- Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first statement since taking power, vowing to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz and threatening attacks on countries hosting U.S. bases while calling for revenge after strikes that killed his father and other officials.
- Iran’s leadership responded to Donald Trump’s threats today:
- President Donald Trump said he cannot guarantee the safety of Iran’s national soccer team if it travels to the U.S. for the 2026 World Cup amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, while Iran’s sports minister said the country will not participate after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- A gunman identified as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire inside a classroom at Old Dominion University’s Constant Hall in Norfolk, Virginia, killing one person and injuring two others—two of them members of the ROTC program—before the attacker was killed; authorities say Jalloh was a former Army National Guard member previously convicted in 2017 of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and had been released from prison in 2024.
- A man drove a vehicle into Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, crashing through the building and down a hallway before being confronted by security staff; the suspect died during the confrontation, explosives were later found in the vehicle, one security guard was injured, and authorities said no worshippers or children at the synagogue’s school were seriously hurt.
- Temple Israel in West Bloomfield had conducted an active-shooter training exercise with the FBI about six weeks before the recent armed attack at the synagogue.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said U.S.–Israeli strikes have weakened Iran by killing senior Revolutionary Guard figures and nuclear scientists, warned Iran’s new supreme leader and Hezbollah leadership that they could be targeted, and vowed to continue military operations while saying regime change ultimately depends on the Iranian people.
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. Navy—possibly with an international coalition—will escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as it is militarily feasible, adding that such operations had been planned for months ahead of the Iran war.
- Israel’s military dropped charges against five soldiers accused of beating, tasering, and sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman prison in 2024, saying leaked video evidence was insufficient for a conviction and that the victim—who suffered fractured ribs and a perforated rectum—had been released to Gaza and might not testify; the decision was praised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but condemned by human rights groups as enabling abuse.
- Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville posted this islamophobic tweet today:
- Global oil prices surged more than 10% and stocks fell after the International Energy Agency warned the U.S.–Israel war with Iran has caused the largest supply disruption in oil market history, as attacks on tankers and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz—through which about 20% of global energy passes—threaten a prolonged energy crisis and rising fuel prices.
- The U.N. refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people inside Iran have been displaced by the war, with many fleeing Tehran and other major cities for safer rural or northern areas as the conflict continues.
- The White House is considering temporarily waiving the Jones Act—a law requiring goods between U.S. ports to be transported on American-built and operated ships—to help ease fuel shortages and rising prices caused by the U.S.–Israel war with Iran and disruptions to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Washington state lawmakers passed a new 9.9% “millionaire’s tax” on residents earning over $1 million annually—the state’s first income tax—to fund programs like education and school meals, though the measure still faces expected legal challenges and a possible repeal vote.
- U.S. mortgage rates rose to 6.11% after briefly falling below 6%, as the U.S.–Israel war with Iran pushed oil prices higher, increased inflation concerns, and drove up Treasury yields—adding new pressure to an already strained housing market where high prices and borrowing costs are keeping many buyers on the sidelines.
- President Donald Trump urged Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates “immediately” rather than waiting for the next Federal Reserve meeting, as economic pressures rise amid market turmoil linked to the Iran war.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a 45-day “ruthless, no-excuses” review of military legal offices to eliminate duplication and shift JAG lawyers back to advising commanders in combat operations, separating operational legal work from civilian legal duties; critics warn the move could weaken legal oversight of controversial U.S. military actions, including recent strikes in the Iran conflict.
- Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security and end a 27-day shutdown in a 51–46 vote (short of the 60 needed), arguing the bill funds ICE and Border Patrol without reforms after controversial immigration enforcement actions, while Republicans accused Democrats of prolonging the shutdown despite offers for compromises or short-term funding.
- The Senate passed the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act 89–10 to lower housing costs through incentives for new construction, converting abandoned buildings into housing, and funding home renovations, but the bill faces uncertain prospects in the House where some Republicans object to the negotiation process and specific provisions.
- A Connecticut investigation found a police shooting of Dyshan Best was justified because he had a gun while fleeing officers, but the report raised concerns that the first ambulance at the scene took a police officer experiencing a mild anxiety attack instead, delaying Best’s transport to the hospital by about 10 minutes before he later died from his injuries.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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