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Trump: Attacking Iran Capabilities Related to Strait of Hormuz

 President Donald Trump said Monday that U.S. strikes against Iran were targeting the country's military capabilities tied to the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway Tehran has used for years as leverage against the United States and Israel.

The U.S. military announced new strikes against Iran on Monday, but Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he had not ruled out a negotiated settlement with Tehran.

"We're attacking their capabilities associated with the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, with the Congressional Research Service estimating that about one-fifth of global petroleum consumption passes through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

Iran has spent decades developing military systems aimed at threatening shipping in and around the strait, including anti-ship missiles, naval mines, fast attack boats, coastal defense systems, and unmanned drones, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Those capabilities are central to Iran's asymmetric military strategy, allowing Tehran to threaten a far more powerful adversary by targeting commercial shipping and naval forces in a confined maritime area, according to U.S. military analysts.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during periods of heightened tensions with Washington, viewing the waterway as one of its most important sources of leverage because of its importance to global energy markets.

The Associated Press reported that the current conflict has increased concerns over Iran's ability to interfere with shipping through the strait, with commercial traffic already affected as the United States and Iran battle over control of the strategic passage.

Trump also said Monday that the United States was investigating whether Iran has military drones in Cuba.

"It could be that there are Iranian drones in Cuba," Trump said. "If they do have that, and they might very well have that, we'll take care of it."

Trump said officials were looking into the matter but provided no evidence to support the claim.

The White House has not publicly confirmed that Iranian drones are deployed or stored in Cuba.

The comments came after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush warned at a United Against Nuclear Iran event that Cuba may have acquired Iranian-made Shahed drones, which have been used by Iran and its partners in conflicts overseas.

The New York Post reported that Bush raised concerns about the possibility of Iranian drone technology being positioned close to the United States, though the claim has not been independently confirmed by U.S. officials.

The issue has drawn attention because Iran's Shahed drone family has become one of Tehran's most widely exported weapons systems. Iran has supplied Shahed-series drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, and Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East have also used similar unmanned systems in attacks against U.S. and allied targets.

Trump said the administration would respond if Iran had placed military drones in Cuba.

"We're not going to have a problem," Trump said. "We're not going to allow that to happen."

Insanity: Steve Hilton Uncovers Why Police Can't Clear LA's Homeless Camps

One of the enduring and growing issues in Los Angeles, and California in general, is the persistent problem of homelessness. The issue has been metastasizing for decades and accelerating over the last few years. There is a level of acceptance, due to Democrat-run ineptitude, because, after all, who really expects that party to deliver results? This is taking place for reasons beyond just Governor Gavin Newsom's and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass's empty, long-pledged promises to address the problem.

Now we are seeing that it is worse than their simply paying vacant lip service; there are active steps being taken to block attempts to address the issue.

 

GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton recently took a walk through L.A.’s infamous Skid Row, and the jarring content stretches well beyond the visuals. As he perambulates with others through the detritus, side-stepping the prone addicts streetside, Hilton gets told that a major factor in this reality is that when police are dispatched to go in and begin clearing the sidewalks, they are legally prevented from doing so.

It is an insane reality, but homeless advocates have taken to the courts to halt any attempt at getting the drug users and other indigents who are a blight on the community removed for the general safety of the region.

The logic behind this, if that word has any kind of purchase in this discussion, is that it is deemed a personal property issue, and that the police are violating individual rights by forcibly evicting these people – who are illegally occupying public spaces and committing various crimes in the process.

The outfit behind this bat guano drive is the Los Angeles Community Network (LA CAN), and they have been using the courts on the regular to halt any efforts at cleaning up the city. What has been transpiring is a perfect storm of bureaucratic insanity that typifies California politics. In short, the state and local officials exhibited the foot-dragging and sloth we have come to expect, so the city was sued by another group — the LA Alliance for Human Rights — to force them to enact common sense and enact the laws to compel cleanup of the homeless areas in the city.

Since 2020, this battle has been waged, as the city was told it must come up with a plan to remove and provide shelter for those cured of urban agoraphobia, and the results have been so dismal that it has led to more lawsuits against the city over a lack of compliance. The city's spending on homelessness is on approach to $1 billion annually. Again, this is just for the city of Los Angeles, and it has been incapable of even stemming the growth of the problem.

And now we see that there is this NGO out there taking legal action to prevent even a modicum of effort at addressing the problem. What we seem to be witnessing is the inevitable paradox of many (most) activist organizations. They are established to solve a social ill, but once the money starts flowing in, the last thing they intend to do is solve the problem they have been charged to address, as that means the slush would evaporate. 

It appears that LA CAN is supremely focused on legal battles, not actually going into the problem areas and benefiting those in need. Arguing last summer against these types of cleanup projects, the LA CAN lawyer resisted the plan of having an outside outfit come in to take the needed action, because that would possibly lead to the last thing they want to see – results.

“This is very complex,” argued the LA CAN counsel, “and no one has the answers. And certainly, it’s not up to all of us to decide these huge issues right here. It’s up to local governments, elected officials and dedicated public servants ... not the alliance.” 

That would be the very same local governments and elected officials who have proved for years that they are noticeably NOT dedicated to addressing the homelessness issue. And as was explained to Hilton during that walkthrough, the office of Karen Bass works in tandem with LA CAN, as the group continues to Hoover up the donations.

Clearly, this is entirely about advocacy, not solutions. It is seen in another effort that appears to be purely made with a focus on exposure and bringing in more donations. LA CAN has its own choral group, the Freedom Singers. This ensemble has appeared on “America's Got Talent” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” As you can expect, their outreach is meant to bring awareness to the homelessness issue in L.A. 

TRANSLATION: To drive donations for the organization.

You see the mentally impacted operations in play here. These Freedom Singers are comprised of formerly “unhoused” individuals. This means they are now raising money for the outfit that is literally battling against efforts to get people off the streets. You cannot make it make sense, because this is California, after all.

 

This Case Leaves You Wondering: Is There No Crime Too Evil for Activist Judges to Let Illegals Walk Free?

A convicted Cuban plane hijacker who terrorized a flight crew and forced a plane to divert to Florida in 2003 is back on the streets after a Bill Clinton-appointed federal judge ordered his release from ICE custody last week.

Miakel Guerra Morales, who served roughly 20 years in federal prison for aircraft piracy, had been detained by immigration authorities since December. He was awaiting deportation.

That is, until U.S. District Judge John E. Steele

 

 ruled on July 8th that he could no longer be held, despite the ongoing removal process.

A report from the magistrate judge in 2009 highlights some aspects of the brutality involved in the hijacking. The hijackers— Morales and a handful of co-defendants—wielded the plane’s emergency axes and several knives in an attempt to control the pilot and crew. Knives were, on multiple occasions, pressed against the throats of some individuals.

Morales was, according to the document, one of two assailants who pushed a steward "face down to the floor of the cabin" and "held a knife to his throat as they bound his hands behind him with a cord."

During the chaos, the flight technician grabbed an axe to fight back, but reportedly stopped when he heard shouting from the passenger cabin that the hijackers had taken children hostage.

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READ MORE: Obama-Appointed Activist Judge Talwani Thwarts Trump’s Mail-In Ballot Crackdown

Judge Hannah Dugan, Who Helped Illegal Alien Evade ICE, Gets Unbelievable Slap on the Wrist

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Defense lawyers portrayed the incident as a “freedom flight” out of Cuba, claiming the crew and an airport security guard were complicit. They alleged that the crew helped smuggle the knives aboard and recruited the six men to carry out what was meant to appear as a hijacking.

The judge in their case rejected efforts to portray the hijacking as political, while prosecutors argued that escaping your country of origin does not justify hijacking a civilian airliner filled with passengers (including children), holding knives and axes to crew members’ throats, taking hostages, binding people, issuing death threats, and endangering dozens of lives.

Not to mention, hijacking a plane headed to the United States just two years after 9/11 was incredibly ill-advised.

Guerra, meanwhile, credited the judge for his recent release.

"If the judge hadn't been firm, ICE wouldn't have let me go," he said, according to Cuba Headlines.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was not pleased with Steele's decision.

 

“This activist judge forced ICE to release a criminal illegal alien who was convicted and sentenced to 22 years for hijacking a plane back into American communities,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

“This is yet another example of an activist judge trying to thwart President Trump’s mandate from the American people to remove criminal illegal aliens from our country."

Steele ordered his release under supervision. That means immigration agents must now monitor him in the community while they continue efforts to deport him.

Bis insists DHS will "continue to fight for the detention and removal of criminal illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country."

 

Rents Hit All-Time High in Mamdani's NYC As Millionaires Make Mass Exodus

Under the leadership of race-communist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, rent in Manhattan has risen to an all-time high of $5,295 a month, representing a nearly 10 percent increase year-over-year.

BREAKING: NYC rents hit a new all-time high

Median Manhattan rent is now $5,295/mo after rising 8.2% YoY. Median Brooklyn rent is at $4,350

— Exec Sum (@exec_sum) July 13, 2026

Zohran Mamdani “froze the rent” and served himself some taxpayer-funded cake.

Then rents hit an all-time high, vacancy rates reached the highest since COVID, and he proposed a 20% raise for himself.

Incredible stuff. pic.twitter.com/bgNnKyl2ho

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) July 13, 2026

JUST IN: Manhattan median rent has surged to a record $5,295 per month, while Brooklyn hits $4,350.

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) July 13, 2026

Under Mamdani’s NYC administration:

New York City rents just hit an all time high.

June median asking rents:
• Manhattan: $5,295/month
• Brooklyn: $4,350/month

- NYC Comptroller pic.twitter.com/Y8Qpwcld9r

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 13, 2026

With the cost of living booming and Mamdani backing a “tax the rich” agenda to pay for his hyped-up socialist policies, New York City seems to be dying. A study from the New York Post showed that the city lost nearly $11 billion in tax revenue after a mass exodus of millionaires. Meanwhile, 40 percent of New York City’s units are occupied by foreign born tenants, many of whom filled vacancies left after caravans fled the city during the COVID pandemic.

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 13, 2026

 

And instead of solving the affordability crisis in his city, Mamdani is focusing resources on revitalizing ever-present building scaffolding by creating “sidewalk sheds” with tacky paint schemes.

Our streets are getting a makeover! Say hello to New York's fashionable new sidewalk sheds, brought you by @NYC_Buildings. pic.twitter.com/G9nN3xhBOZ

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 13, 2026

New York City is set to suffer through at least three and a half more years of Mamdani’s leadership.

 

Look at This CNN Host's Face When Trump Dropped This Line During a Segment About Lindsey Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away last Saturday night, suffering from an aortic dissection at age 71. News of his death sent shockwaves through D.C. Graham had just returned from Ukraine and was working on a series of important bills, including the reconciliation 3.0 package and the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general. 

President Trump gave a phone interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, where he talked about Graham as a man, a politician, and how he’s a tough guy suited for the political waters of DC. However, at the end, Trump mentioned something about CNN walking a normal path, which didn’t sit well with Tapper, and you can see it on his face 

President Trump ended his interview with Jake Tapper by saying he wants to see CNN return to a “normal path.”

Tapper didn’t like the remark one bit.

TAPPER: “Well, I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have… pic.twitter.com/Z3XM1ah8qd

— Overton (@overton_news) July 12, 2026

President Trump agreed to a future interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper – telling the lefty host that “We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path,” a possible nod to the network’s acquisition by Paramount Skydance.

During an impromptu phone interview Sunday following the shocking death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, Tapper tried to question the president about the war in Iran, but Trump declined to answer.

“Well, I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have you back sometime because I do have a lot of other questions for you, sir,” Tapper said.

Trump replied: “Sure, we’ll do that. We’ll do that.”

As Tapper started to thank the president for the live phone call, Trump jumped in, saying: “We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path and we’ll do that.”

“Well, I’m on a normal path right here, sir, and I appreciate your time. Thank you for calling in,” Tapper responded. 

Trump knows how to get under the media’s skin, and it’s still hilarious to watch. 

 

Trump WH remembers attempted assassination in Butler, marking 2-year anniversary

 

Both President Donald Trump and the White House highlighted the two-year anniversary of the first assassination attempt on the president in Butler, Pennsylvania. Although the 2024 attack miraculously left Trump only with a minor injury, it claimed the life of one rally attendee and seriously injured two others.

On July 13, 2024, a campaign event turned violent when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from the roof of a nearby building, grazing Trump’s right ear and forcing agents to rush him offstage. The shooting tragically claimed the life of rally attendee Corey Comperatore

 

 and injured two other attendees.

In a Monday episode of “Fox & Friends,” President Trump reflected on the horrific moment. He also thanked the U.S. Secret Service and other officials that bravely protected him when Crooks opened fire at the rally.

“Well, they blew Butler because they had one building that was empty, and they blew it … Now at the same time—David, our sniper from 300 yards, was able to act within less than four seconds and took out somebody that he didn’t know existed, which was unbelievable, the job he did…” Trump said.

  

“I had a lot of people on top of me, and they were very brave. The Secret Service was very brave,” Trump praised. “They were on top of me very, very fast. They saw what was happening. Everybody saw very quickly. I knew—I knew exactly what was happening.”

In an X post on Monday, the White House recognized the resilience and courage of the president following the first assassination attempt.

“Fight. Fight. Fight,” the post read. “Two years ago today, in Butler, PA, an assassin opened fire on President Donald J. Trump. By the grace of God, his life was spared,” the White House continued. “As he rose to his feet – blood on his face, fist raised high – that moment became an enduring symbol of resilience, courage, & unbreakable determination for an entire nation.”

 

Fight. Fight. Fight.

Two years ago today, in Butler, PA, an assassin opened fire on President Donald J. Trump.

By the grace of God, his life was spared. As he rose to his feet – blood on his face, fist raised high – that moment became an enduring symbol of resilience,… pic.twitter.com/D48KfMvH5H

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 13, 2026

On the two-year anniversary of the attack, Republicans nationwide paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old former fire chief who was tragically killed at the campaign rally while shielding his wife and daughter from Crooks’ gunfire.

Two other rallygoers, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were critically wounded in the gunfire and rushed to the hospital in life-threatening condition. While both men ultimately survived after undergoing multiple emergency surgeries, they continue to navigate a long-term physical recovery and the lasting impacts of the attack two years later.

 

In a split second, he shielded his daughter and wife with his body, saving their lives at the cost of his own.

His last act was love.
And love like that never dies.

Remembering Corey Comperatore
Butler, PA — July 13, 2024 pic.twitter.com/0mKJZ56RAn

— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) July 13, 2026

Acting ICE Director: 58-year-old Cuban with decades of crimes arrested

 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says it arrested a Miami man identified as Elias Cardoza-Torres, a Cuban national with a long criminal history. Acting ICE Director David Venturella

 is quoted as calling him a “criminal illegal alien.” That account comes from a published report that names the arrest and lists decades of convictions. But readers should know that, for now, the story rests on a single news outlet’s reporting and the public record is not yet fully available.

What the report claims about the ICE arrest

According to the published account, ICE agents arrested 58‑year‑old Elias Cardoza‑Torres in Miami and said he had convictions for drug sales, burglary, vehicle theft and weapons offenses stretching back to the 1990s. The report also says a federal immigration judge ordered him deported in 2000 but he remained in the country and continued to commit crimes. Acting ICE Director David Venturella is quoted as praising the Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office for turning him over to ICE custody.

Why this arrest matters for public safety and immigration enforcement

If these details are accurate, this is exactly the kind of case that worries residents: a long criminal record paired with an alleged ignored removal order. Law‑abiding citizens expect authorities to remove people who flout the law and threaten neighborhoods. This arrest, as reported, highlights gaps in enforcement and record-keeping that allowed a removal order to go unfulfilled while serious crimes continued. That reality makes clear why strong immigration enforcement and local cooperation with federal authorities remain essential to public safety.

Open questions and the need for transparency

Important facts still need to be publicly confirmed. At present, the arrest narrative and the quoted statement appear in a single report; I could not find a matching press release on the official ICE newsroom or a Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office announcement. Journalists and the public should press ICE and local officials for court dockets, the removal order record, and custody transfer paperwork. Transparency matters: if ICE made this arrest and secured transfer, provide the documents. If not, clear the air so rumors don’t fill the gap.

Bottom line: enforcement matters, and so does honesty. If Acting ICE Director David Venturella and local law enforcement moved to remove a dangerous repeat offender, they deserve credit. If the facts are murkier, citizens deserve full answers. Either way, the case underlines a simple point: laws mean little without enforcement, and communities deserve leaders who will enforce them without excuses.

US strikes Iran third straight night and the costly endgame

What CENTCOM says — and what that actually looks like

The military statement is spare and surgical-sounding: strikes against systems that provide Iran with drone, missile and battlefield firepower. CENTCOM frames this as degrading Iran’s ability to attack U.S. forces and partners in the region, and officials insist the missions are precise.

Precision is fine, but so is honesty about risk. Any time you hit hardened military sites, you invite retaliation. That can mean Iranian missiles, proxy squads in Iraq and Syria, or sudden attacks on commercial shipping — exactly the kind of messy, costly escalation Americans were promised they’d never be dragged into again.

Everyday consequences — not just a headline

This isn’t theater for cable news. When missiles fly and ports get nervous, insurance premiums for tankers go up, shipping reroutes, and the price at the pump follows. Ordinary families feel the ripple: higher grocery bills, longer haul times for imports, and small businesses squeezed by rising energy and transport costs.

There’s also a human cost closer to home. Thousands of service members and their families — fathers, mothers, kids — are the ones whose nights get longer and whose letters home get shorter. We can talk strategy in marble halls, but somebody is on the other end of that risk chart living it.

Blunt questions for the people in charge

Fine. You want to deter Iran. You want to protect American troops and allies. But what’s the endgame? Strikes without a clear political exit plan turn into a long shadow war that Washington pays for with blood and money. Conservative readers should ask for clarity: what are we trying to achieve, and how do we know we’ll stop once we get there?

There’s also a moral question. We demand bravery from our troops; we deserve courage and candor from our leaders. If confronting Tehran is necessary, then say so plainly — and tell the country what success looks like. If not, bring the troops home and stop extending these costly, ambiguous commitments.

We can support a strong defense and still insist on sensible strategy. So here’s the hard truth: striking Iran may feel decisive tonight, but will it make America safer tomorrow — or just make the bills for that “safety” even higher for working families?

 

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