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An Israeli-American woman said she was told to leave a Virginia permanent makeup studio after the owner learned she was Israeli.
Jessica Walton had gone to Karimi Brows in Alexandria for an eyebrow appointment with owner Fatana Karimi. The two had been discussing Afghanistan, and Walton later said she thought they were having a pleasant conversation about the country&#8217;s culture.
Walton then told Karimi she was Jewish and half-Israeli.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 JEWISH ISRAELI-AMERICAN WOMAN KICKED OUT OF VIRGINIA BUSINESS AFTER OWNER LEARNED SHE WAS ISRAELI
According to ILTV, a Jewish Israeli-American woman says she was denied service at Karimi Brows in Alexandria, Virginia, after the owner learned she was Israeli.
Video from the… <a href="https://t.co/1k8HLxyHPT">pic.twitter.com/1k8HLxyHPT</a>
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) <a href="https://x.com/MOSSADil/status/2089050396341997637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I don’t support Israel,” Karimi told her, per a video of the encounter captured by Karimi. Karimi added that she is “a big free Palestine” advocate and “massive for Palestine.”
Karimi told Walton that the situation would have been different if Walton had said there was a genocide occurring or that she did not support the Israeli government&#8217;s actions.
“Get out of my office,” Karimi told her.
Walton protested that she had done nothing wrong and had not brought politics into the conversation.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Walton said. “I didn’t say anything political.”
Walton said she had come to the business for a service and argued that she was being treated differently because she was Israeli.
Walton then asked Karimi to return the deposit she had made for the appointment and said she would pursue legal action if it was not refunded.
According to Israeli news outlet ILTV, Walton did not receive her deposit back.
Karimi posted her own account of the appointment, accusing Walton of steering the conversation towards politics and arguing that she had repeatedly attempted to steer it back to eyebrows.
According to Karimi&#8217;s business <a href="https://www.karimimade.com/about-us-1">website</a>, she received her permanent makeup license from Virginia&#8217;s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation in 2019 and specializes in eyebrow procedures, including microblading, nano techniques, and powder brows.
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Pro-Palestinian Activists Occupy Charing Cross Station London

‘Get Out Of My Office’: Israeli-American Woman’s Appointment Takes An Ugly Turn

antisemitism

Free Palestine movement

Virginia

<div>
A DSA national leader <a href="https://x.com/nataliegwinters/status/2089327354724388899">welcomed</a> a Chinese Communist Party delegation at an event in New York City and laid out the group’s goals in plain terms: “We try to push socialism into the masses of America,” and “China is an incredible positive vision of socialism for everyone around the world.”
Ahmed Husain, who is a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America’s National Political Committee, described the organization as the largest socialist group in the country, with more than 200 chapters across most states. He said it works to build up the DSA in the United States through different sites of struggle — housing, labor unions, and elections. The stated objective is to push socialism into the masses and build a positive vision for it. China, he said, offers that vision to people in the U.S. and other countries.
Husain is the same DSA leader who <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/07/us-news/dsa-calls-for-ending-us-empire-mourns-iranian-ayatollahs-extrajudicial/">spoke</a> on the group’s “Hands Off Iran” mass video call in early March. Nearly 1,000 people joined that Wednesday night meeting, which opened with a remake of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War.” Speakers on the call framed Iran’s 1979 revolution as throwing off American and Israeli influence. One participant from the National Iranian American Council spoke of deep mourning over the “extrajudicial killing of the supreme leader.”
On that call, Husain told participants the fight would not end with a rally or a vote. “This is going to end with a mass movement to put an end to the war machine,” he said. “We have to create a real cost for the warmongers.” He added that he did not believe the movement was where it needed to be to stop the war: “I don’t care if it’s your neighbor, your co-worker, your dad, your mom, your job is to get them to act. The DSA needs to act on every single front.”
He went on to say the work is cumulative and aimed at building a movement that can change the terrain permanently so the &#8220;war machine&#8221; can no longer function. “We can end the US empire here in America.”
Husain, an immigrant from Bahrain, has previously written on social media about destroying the “decaying fascist American empire” and stated that “Israel never had the right to exist.”
The same DSA national leader who called for ending the U.S. empire in March is now the one presenting China as the positive vision of socialism while welcoming a Chinese Communist Party delegation in New York.
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<section></section>
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NYC-DSA holds a rally to tax the rich

DSA Leader Welcomes Chinese Communists, Reveals What He Wants To Push Across America

Iran

Mayor Zohran Mamdani

New York

<div>
As the 60-day memorandum of understanding with Iran expired on Monday, President Donald Trump delivered a blunt message to the regime, while warning that if Oman gets in the way of U.S. efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, “we’ll bomb the sh*t out of them.”
Speaking with <a href="https://x.com/TreyYingst/status/2089314268558618803?s=20">Fox News</a>, the president said Iran should &#8220;put up the white flag of surrender.&#8221; He said he has &#8220;no time schedule&#8221; and is &#8220;not in a hurry,&#8221; while emphasizing that Oman must not interfere. The ongoing naval blockade, he made clear, will keep grinding economic pressure on the regime even as Iranian officials talk tough in public.
Trump described the Iranians as “good poker players, but they’re dying.” The blockade is already exacting a real cost, and the domestic midterms are irrelevant to how he forms his approach. He <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905771">confirmed</a> that American officials are maintaining a direct back channel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking not only with the political leadership in Tehran but with the IRGC officials themselves.
On the military side, the president called what the United States has used so far against Iran “peanuts.” The U.S. still holds significant hoards of mid-level weapons, he mentioned.
The same interview turned to Gaza and the wider Iranian proxy network. Trump said the United States has a different channel with Hamas. His son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner met the previous day in Egypt with Khalil al-Hayya, the current Hamas chief.
According to the president, Hamas has agreed to ultimately give up its weapons as part of talks on demilitarizing the strip. For that reason, he said, Israel shouldn&#8217;t be conducting strikes in Gaza right now.
Kushner is in Jerusalem on Monday meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, joined by Board of Peace head Nickolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to press the next phase of the U.S. plan.
When asked about Israel’s October elections, Trump said he thinks it&#8217;s appropriate to stay out of them, though he may still endorse a party. He described Israeli forces as fighting very well alongside American ones and referred to Israel as the little brother of the United States. Any resumed combat operations in the region, he indicated, would be led by the United States with Israeli support.
Trump also addressed the Houthis in Yemen. Last week, the Iran-backed group launched multiple attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and struck Yemen&#8217;s Mocha Port with enough missiles and drones that authorities were forced to halt all commercial activity. He had previously warned the Houthis against becoming directly involved. He likewise mentioned Hezbollah in southern Lebanon as part of the broader network Tehran has funded for decades.
On Truth Social, President Trump wrote that preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon remains the top priority for the United States. The blockade is already costing the Iranian regime hundreds of millions of dollars each day. Additional Treasury sanctions are expected this week, adding more domestic pressure on officials in Tehran.
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<div>
The 60-day window that expired Monday is largely irrelevant to Trump’s strategy. He has no timeline and is prepared to keep the naval blockade in place while direct talks with the IRGC proceed.
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</div>
</div>

Protest against US attacks on Houthis in Yemen

Trump Threatens To Bomb Another Middle Eastern Country

Hezbollah

Houthis

Iran war

IRGC

Islamic terrorists

Oman

President Donald Trump

The Democratic National Committee adopted a resolution Saturday urging congressional Democrats to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alongside a competing measure calling only for reforms to the agency, at the party&#8217;s summer meeting in Austin, Texas.
The abolition measure, known as Resolution 27, cleared the DNC&#8217;s Resolutions Committee on Thursday in a 25-12 vote with one abstention before heading to the full membership, Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/dnc-votes-back-eliminating-ice-trump-expands-deportations-12327959">reported</a>. Both resolutions were bundled into a larger package and approved by the full membership on a unanimous voice vote, <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/15/dnc-passes-dueling-ice-resolutions-establishment-insurgents-clash/">according</a> to the Washington Times. The vote is nonbinding and does not change the party platform for 2028.
The reform measure, sponsored by DNC Chairman Ken Martin, drew broader support in committee than the abolition proposal.
The vote comes amid internal party debates over immigration policy ahead of this year’s midterm elections as President Donald Trump expands deportation efforts. In July, border czar Tom Homan said ICE was on schedule to set arrest records for a second consecutive month and described the push as “<a href="https://x.com/johnnymaga/status/2080472034807541833">deportation-maxxing.</a>”
The resolution calls on Democratic members of Congress to enact legislation dissolving ICE and winding down the immigration detention system. It seeks to restrict Department of Homeland Security funding unless certain enforcement activities end, including workplace raids, mass roundups, arrests at courthouses, arrests at ICE check-ins, and actions near schools and houses of worship. It also calls for terminating contracts with private detention providers.
Martin said official party platforms are set every four years at the national convention, and argued Democrats are still united in opposing the administration&#8217;s enforcement approach even as they split over what should replace it.
“Our official party positions are determined at the convention every four years in our platform,” Martin said in a statement to Newsweek. “However, clearly, the one thing that unites Democrats, regardless of their position on reform versus abolish or whatever other ways to change what’s happening, is people believe that what ICE is doing right now and CBP and the federal government should stop. There has to be a better way.”
The White House criticized the action. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Newsweek on Saturday:
&#8220;Extreme radical Democrats want to abolish ICE and defund the police. Instead of trying to abolish ICE, Democrats should be thanking ICE law enforcement officers for putting their lives on the line to arrest and remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members from American communities. Many of these criminals were released from jails by Democrat radical politicians. President Trump&#8217;s efforts to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities is already delivering results including the lowest murder rate in 125 years.&#8221;
The resolution also calls for closing detention facilities, releasing most immigration detainees, and expanding civil rights oversight.
Michele Johnson, a DNC member from Louisiana who proposed the abolition measure, said Democrats need to take a clear position, pointing to the dissolution of ICE&#8217;s predecessor agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as precedent, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-dnc-2028-primary-immigration-ice-106d35d404491c87b4f3a64b4119677e">according</a> to the Associated Press.
“I think one of the reasons why people are not trusting the party is because we sound so academic,” she said. “We sound focus group tested, we sound poll tested because we’re worried about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing and not just like, just stand on business, like take a position.”
DNC member Yvonne Reeves-Chong voted against it, saying it would win over only part of the party&#8217;s base while drawing fire from another group of voters, according to the AP.
“I would strongly suggest we get to the business of winning races so we can make the policies that make a difference,” she said.
Earlier this year, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stopped short of calling for ICE’s elimination while demanding reforms such as banning face coverings for agents, requiring visible identification, and restricting enforcement near schools and churches.
Polling suggests voters are focused elsewhere. Marquette Law School&#8217;s most recent national <a href="https://today.marquette.edu/2026/08/new-marquette-law-school-poll-national-survey-finds-inflation-and-cost-of-living-the-most-important-issue-economy-next-most-important/">survey</a>, released August 5, found inflation and the cost of living ranked as the top issue for 35% of adults, with immigration and border security at 5% — down from 14% in January.
The same poll found Trump&#8217;s overall approval had risen to 40%, his first uptick in a Marquette survey this term, and border security was the only issue on which he cleared 50% approval.
ICE itself remains unpopular. A Marquette <a href="https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2026/02/04/new-marquette-law-school-national-survey-finds-60-disapprove-of-the-work-of-ice-with-democrats-and-independents-opposed-to-ice-and-republicans-in-favor/">survey</a> conducted in late January found 40% of adults approved of the agency&#8217;s job performance and 60% disapproved. But the same poll found 56% still favored deporting illegal immigrants, and among that group, 65% approved of ICE&#8217;s conduct.
Sarah Pierce, director of social policy at the center-left group Third Way, has argued that immigration should not be Democrats&#8217; first message to voters because it is not their top concern — but that ignoring the issue is also a mistake. Democrats &#8220;cannot allow Republicans to be the only party offering a vision&#8221; on immigration, she told Newsweek.

Ken Martin, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) state convention, Rochester, Minn., May 29, 2026

‘Abolish ICE’ Is Now Official DNC Policy

Anti-ICE

Illegal Immigration

President Trump

Tom Homan

An Iranian psychologist who publicly urged President Donald Trump to stand by anti-regime protesters has been sentenced to seven months in prison, and his family says authorities tried to force him to record a video insulting Trump and the American people, Fox News Digital <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-jails-psychologist-trump-plea-regime-demands-americans-look-stupid-family">reported</a> Saturday.
Seyed Ahmad Seyedabdollahi, a 32-year-old psychologist and counselor from Borujen who had been living in Tehran, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-jails-psychologist-trump-plea-regime-demands-americans-look-stupid-family">posted</a> an English-language video on January 4. In it he spoke directly to Trump and urged him to act quickly on his pledge to support Iranian protesters. Young Iranians had trusted his words, he said, and those who helped the Iranian people would be remembered.
&#8220;To prove your good intentions to the Iranian people, either do something without saying anything or act very quickly on your words, because many young people trust what you say. And, as you probably know, many things are useless to people who are dead. I assure you that the Iranian nation remembers good deeds well, and they will try to repay their friends in the future.&#8221;
Ten days later, on January 14, Seyedabdollahi was reportedly arrested at his father’s home in Borujen. Plainclothes agents confiscated phones and electronic equipment. He was held in solitary confinement and at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence detention facility in Isfahan. 
A relative told Fox News Digital that the video brought sustained pressure from Iranian security authorities.
“Since that day, he has faced serious pressure from Iranian security authorities. He was arrested twice and subjected to repeated interrogations,” the relative said. “During his detention, he spent extended periods in solitary confinement.” Fox News Digital reported it could not independently verify the relative&#8217;s account of Seyedabdollahi&#8217;s treatment in custody.
He was held for roughly two months before being released on bail in March, <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608066386">according</a> to Iran International.
Branch One of the Borujen Revolutionary Court convicted him of “engaging in media activities against national security.” He received seven months in prison and a five-year ban from government and public services. He was detained again on July 7 to begin serving the sentence and remains in Borujen Prison.
The Hana Human Rights Organization, a Geneva-registered group that monitors abuse in Iran, <a href="https://hanahr.org/en/news/seyed-ahmad-seyedabdollahi-remains-in-boroujen-prison-as-new-case-opens-on-charge-of-propaganda-against-the-state/#&amp;_intcmp=fnc_world_article_main-content_article-body_6_6">said</a> Seyedabdollahi was denied contact with his family for 17 days after his first arrest and that his family initially did not know where he was being held. Iran International reported that he was denied access to a lawyer of his choosing during his detention and was at times prevented from communicating with his family.
Authorities opened a second case against him in June on a charge translated as “propaganda against the establishment” or “propaganda against the system of the Islamic Republic.” That case remains at the preliminary investigative stage.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital appear to detail the authorities’ investigation and contain references to alleged foreign contacts and financial transactions involving the United States and Israel. Interrogators accused him of connections to the CIA and Mossad and of receiving money for making the video, the relative said.
“They told him you are a member of the CIA and Mossad and you took money from them for this job,” the relative said.
The relative also alleged that authorities pressured Seyedabdollahi to record a second video repudiating his original message and attacking Trump and Americans.
“He did not give in to numerous pressures to publish a clip that contradicted the first video,” the relative said. “He was asked to sexually insult Trump and make the American people look stupid and ignorant so that we could broadcast your clip on the national media.”
The relative said Seyedabdollahi continues to face pressure in prison after refusing the demands. “His situation in Borujen Prison is not good because he has been out of solitary confinement for a few days, but sometimes they take him to solitary confinement under various pretexts,” the relative said. Monitored telephone calls make it difficult for him to speak openly about his treatment.
The five-year prohibition on public and government employment has added to the burden by threatening his ability to work after release.
“You understand the economic conditions of Iran. Now imagine that in this situation someone has been deprived of their social rights, i.e. job and income, and he is imprisoned,” the relative said.
The relative described Seyedabdollahi as a psychologist and popular speaker with a following among young Iranians, and said that during the brief period when he was free, he stayed focused on those who had suffered more in the crackdown, recalling them saying: &#8220;Don&#8217;t feel weak. Our problems are insignificant compared to the thousands of people who have lost their lives.&#8221;
Seyedabdollahi posted his video two days after Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Iran &#8220;shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,&#8221; adding that the U.S. was &#8220;locked and loaded and ready to go.&#8221; On January 13, Trump urged Iranians to keep protesting and wrote that &#8220;help is on its way.&#8221;
Iran International reported that the crackdown brought mass arrests. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said in early February that more than 50,000 people had been arrested in the roughly six weeks since protests began.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-rights-chief-says-iran-executed-least-56-people-since-march-2026-08-05/">said</a> in an August 5 statement that at least 56 people had been executed on national-security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to the January protests. More than 100 others face similar charges and the possibility of execution, Türk said.

Iran Holds Dayslong Funeral For Late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iranian Prisoner Refuses Regime Order To Film Video Trashing Trump

Mossad

Tehran

United Nations

Former Rep. Mary Peltola’s (D-AK) Senate <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/politics/kamala-harris-mary-peltola-endorsement.html">campaign</a> made clear this week that it wants nothing to do with former Vice President Kamala Harris’s message of support.
On Wednesday, Harris’s Fight for the People PAC sent an email urging supporters to “stand behind Mary,” The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/politics/kamala-harris-mary-peltola-endorsement.html">reported</a>. It called the Alaska contest a “must-win race” for Democrats hoping to retake the Senate and declared, “If there’s anyone who can flip Alaska and secure the Senate majority for Democrats — it’s Mary.” The message linked to a page asking donors to split contributions between Peltola’s campaign and Harris’s own committee.
Peltola’s team responded immediately. The campaign said it had not approved the email and had no knowledge of it before it went out.
“Mary isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48 — her focus is and always will be Alaska,” the statement read, citing support she has received from several Alaska labor groups.
Peltola did not endorse Harris in 2024.
Peltola, a former congresswoman, is running against incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Limited polling thus far shows the race to be competitive, but Peltola would need to far outperform Harris’s 2024 showing in the state: a 13-point loss.
Republicans moved fast to connect the two. Nick Puglia, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Peltola had worked “hand in hand with Kamala Harris to put Alaska last, so it’s no surprise that Harris is backing Peltola.”
Nate Adams, speaking for Sullivan’s campaign, added, “No matter how hard Mary Peltola tries to hide from the endorsement, Alaskans can see exactly whose team she and Kamala Harris are on.”
This was not the first time Harris’s PAC has pushed Peltola. On January 12, the day Peltola announced her candidacy, the same group sent a similar appeal that read, “This is the race that may determine control of the Senate.” The latest message emerged just days before Alaska’s August 18 nonpartisan primary. Under Alaska&#8217;s odd voting system, the top four finishers in the primary advance to November, regardless of party.
State Representative Rebecca Himschoot, an independent, called the email “really dumb” and said Harris was “riding Mary Peltola’s coattails.” Himschoot noted that Harris is not currently running for anything and “didn’t do well here to begin with.” She described the overall swarm of outside messaging in the race as “tremendously manipulative.”
Harris has left the door open for another presidential run in 2028.
Alaska has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly two decades. Most voters in the state are politically unaffiliated. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who often crosses party lines to vote with Democrats, won re-election in 2022 by defeating a Trump-backed challenger.
Another candidate named Dan Sullivan, a former elementary school teacher with no prior political experience, is also on the ballot. Republicans have accused the other Dan Sullivan of working with Democrats and Peltola’s campaign to confuse voters and siphon support from incumbent Sen. Sullivan. The Peltola campaign has denied any coordination. The second Sullivan successfully fought in court to remain on the ballot after election officials tried to remove him.

AUSTRIA-US-CLIMATE-SUMMIT

Dem Senate Hopeful Runs From Kamala Harris Support

2026 Midterms

Alaska

dan sullivan

Democrats

Election

Kamala Harris

Mary Petola

Republicans

Senate

Flock Safety, whose surveillance cameras have faced mounting questions, announced Thursday a set of changes designed to improve privacy protections and reduce the likelihood of misuse.
The company said the updates emerge in response to concerns that have built over time about how the technology is used, <a href="https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/privacy/flock-announces-new-privacy-protections-its-surveillance-cameras-some">according</a> to Just The News. 
Under the new approach, individual police departments will be able to limit information other law enforcement agencies can access. One possible arrangement would allow outside agencies to search for data on stolen vehicles while blocking them from examining records connected to immigration violations, as described in a New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/business/flock-cameras-privacy-updates.html">report</a>.
Flock is also changing how long the gathered material remains available. The standard period will drop from 30 days to one week. Local police departments will have the option to extend the time period if they decide it is necessary for an investigation.
Chad Marlow, who serves as senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, called the steps &#8220;good in theory&#8221; when he spoke with the Times. 
He went on to say the company appears to be treating privacy questions largely as a public relations concern. Other critics have taken a firmer line, arguing that only actual changes in legislation can place real limits on this form of surveillance technology.
At present, several thousand law enforcement agencies rely on Flock’s system. That system includes about 120,000 cameras placed in communities across the country. The devices scan license plates as cars drive past and can monitor potential criminal activity. 
Reports of improper access, along with broader unease about the monitoring of ordinary drivers, have led to protests in multiple locations. Some cities have already moved to end their contracts with the company as a result.
The announcement arrives while public discussion of the cameras remains active.

Flock Camera

Flock Announces New Privacy Protocols After Populist Backlash Against Cameras

Flock camera

Flock cameras

Police

public safety

Two oil slicks have appeared in Iranian waters inside the Gulf, according to satellite imagery, with one spotted off the southern tip of Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.
A smaller oil slick has also <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905546">appeared</a> near Sirri Island over 60 miles southwest of Qeshm in the center of the Gulf, where Iranian offshore oil and gas production takes place, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/two-slicks-appear-gulf-huge-oil-spill-off-oman-threatens-disaster-2026-08-14/">Reuters</a>. 
The imagery of the Qeshm slick was taken on August 10. The Sirri imagery is from August 13.
These new slicks arrive as attacks on oil tankers and other vessels by Iran and the United States raise concerns about environmental damage across the Gulf. A separate, larger spill is already unfolding outside the Strait of Hormuz off Oman. 
The grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi is leaking Russian crude into a protected marine area, creating a slick some estimates put at nearly 800 square miles. That incident has not been connected to the conflict with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Top+U.S.+Commander+Meets+With+Gulf+Prince+As+Iran+Continues+To+Attack+Ships">Iran</a>.
On the Qeshm spill, environmental open-source researcher Wim Zwijnenburg of the Dutch peace organization PAX noted that the dark color in parts of the slick pointed to heavy fuel oil. A lighter, diluted portion of the slick stretched about 100 miles.
Video verified by Reuters and posted on August 11 shows a dark bubbling liquid washing up on the beaches of Suza on Qeshm Island, staining the turquoise water surrounding it. 
John Amos, CEO of SkyTruth, which tracks oil spills with satellite imagery, described the Qeshm slick as significant. “This is the biggest one that I’ve seen in recent months really since the conflict between Iran and the U.S. began,” Amos said, calling it “a major incident.”
Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, said the Qeshm Island slick likely occurred from a leak on the Minoan Pioneer, a Liberia-flagged dry bulk carrier. The ship was struck by an unknown projectile near Oman’s coast in a suspected Iranian attack on August 3 while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One seafarer went missing, and a maritime security source told Reuters the same leak likely reached Qeshm Island as well.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, <a href="https://x.com/IRIMFA_SPOX/status/2087641049858465917">posted on X</a> that oil pollution from the Gulf had reached Qeshm Island and evidence “indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source.”
Reuters said it could not independently confirm the cause of either slick or identify the substances involved.
A source affiliated with the salvage operation for the Minoan Pioneer, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters on Friday that a tugboat sent to secure the grounded vessel could not approach it due to permission issues from Iranian authorities. The Iranian Mission in Geneva did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Brian Barnes, a satellite oceanographer and research assistant professor at the University of South Florida, said the regional conflict has made it more difficult to assess and clean up spills in the Gulf. “The longer that the oil is leaking into an environment, the more it can spread out and cause damage to ecosystems and coastlines.”

TOPSHOT-UAE-IRAN-ISRAEL-US-WAR

More Middle East Trouble: Massive Oil Leak Discovered In Ocean Near Strait Of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz

Six Flags Magic Mountain has kept its X2 roller coaster shut down for over a month after a rider was found unconscious.
The park in Valencia, California, took the ride offline on July 5 when the Los Angeles County Fire Department was called to the scene. 
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has since opened an inspection, though it has declined to release any details while the review continues.
A spokesman for the park confirmed only that X2 is not running, saying, “We hope to get the ride back up as soon as possible. We do not have an estimated time of when X2 will be reopening.” 
The park has given no further explanation about why the coaster remains closed or whether any safety or maintenance work is necessary. It has also not disclosed anything about the condition of the rider involved in the July incident.
X2 is billed as one of the most intense roller coasters in the world and the first to deliver a fourth-dimension experience. Riders sit in seats that spin a full 360 degrees and reach out on wings away from the track. 
The course includes face-down drops and hits 76 miles per hour along its 3,610-foot track. The park calls it a rite of passage for the ultimate daredevil, the kind of ride that leaves even the most hardened thrill seeker screaming. It opened as X in 2002 and was later renamed X2.
The shutdown comes as a separate case involving the X2 roller coaster moves toward trial. A Garden Grove family has alleged that their 22-year-old son, Christopher Hawley, suffered a catastrophic brain bleed after riding X2 in June 2022. 
According to the lawsuit, the coaster suddenly and violently jolted to a halt while Hawley was riding. After the ride, he said his head hurt, then grabbed a rail to keep himself up before he went down and lost consciousness. He was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and died the next day. A jury trial is set to begin in September.

People on boardwalk near new roller coaster

The Mystery That Forced Six Flags To Shut Down Popular Ride

California

Roller coaster

Six flags

California imam <a href="https://www.memri.org/tv/california-imam-islam-save-america-columbus">Amir Abdel Malik Ali</a> told a congregation that Islam existed in the Americas before Christianity, claimed Christopher Columbus saw a mosque when he arrived, and declared that Islam is “what’s going to save America.”
Ali, the longtime CEO and imam of <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/mosques/380/masjid-al-islam#_ftnref2">Masjid Al-Islam</a> in Oakland, made the remarks during a May 1 sermon at the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley.
&#8220;Islam was in the Americas before Christianity was,&#8221; Ali said, according to a video published by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Ali told the congregation that when Muslims are told to “go back home,” they should respond that Islam was already present in the Americas before Europeans arrived. He insisted Columbus&#8217;s diary proved it.
According to MEMRI, Ali claimed that on October 8, 1492, Columbus was sailing off the coast of Cuba when he “looked up on a mountain and saw a mosque.” He also claimed that Columbus encountered indigenous people whom he described as “dressed like Mohammedans.”
Ali&#8217;s account, however, does not match the historical record.
Columbus did not reach Cuba until October 28, 1492, weeks after the October 8 date Ali reportedly cited.
As researcher <a href="https://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/did-columbus-find-an-ancient-mosque-in-cuba">Jason Colavito</a> has noted, in an October 29, 1492, diary entry, Columbus compared the shape of a Cuban mountain to &#8220;a graceful mosque,&#8221; according to an abstract of his journal preserved by Bartolomé de las Casas. The passage describes the appearance of the landscape, not the discovery of an actual mosque.
Ali used his account of history to argue that Islam will play an increasingly important role in the United States.
“There are major changes coming to this country,&#8221; he said. “Muslims or Islam will play a major role because they possess the solution. Allah has given the Quran and the Sunnah, and that is what will save America.”
The remarks are the latest in a long public record of radical rhetoric from the Oakland-based imam.
During a February 2005 speech at the University of California, Irvine, Ali appeared to justify Palestinian suicide bombers who targeted Israeli buses, arguing that Israeli soldiers traveled aboard the buses. He said the terrorists were &#8220;going after soldiers who are on those buses,&#8221; according to remarks documented by the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
He referred to the attackers as &#8220;freedom fighters.&#8221;
During another appearance at the University of California, Irvine, Ali declared: &#8220;We’re gonna fight [the United States and Israel] and we’re gonna win. And it’s gonna be either victory or martyrdom, that&#8217;s how it goes.” 
Ali also celebrated Hamas&#8217;s electoral victory during a 2006 Muslim Student Association conference in Sacramento and referred to two of the terrorist group&#8217;s former leaders, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, as having been &#8220;martyred.&#8221;
“Our beloved Sheikh Yassin was martyred and then Sheikh Rantisi was martyred after him.”

Columbus/Imam

California Imam Makes Wild Claims About Christopher Columbus, Islam

Amir Abdel Malik Ali

Anti-Semitism

CAIR

Islamic Extremism

Islamic Jihad

Masjid Al-Islam

Disney World is in the middle of replacing the flat-top trash cans that have been a staple at the Florida resort for decades, and the change has stirred up a wave of frustration from regular guests.
The new bins are high-tech and solar-powered. Disney says they can hold more garbage than the old ones, automatically compact what goes inside, and send alerts to cast members when they are getting full, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/13/lifestyle/disneyland-says-its-dumping-its-old-trash-cans-and-fans-are-furious/">reported</a>. The company is rolling them out across the four theme parks, the water parks, and Disney Springs. The practical objective is fewer overflowing cans and fewer trips by staff to empty them.
But many Disney fans are upset by the shape of the new trash cans. The older cans had flat tops that guests treated as unofficial tables, especially during EPCOT’s food and drink festivals. People would set plates and drinks on them while they ate standing up. The new versions have curved tops, making the standing table hack much more difficult for parkgoers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Disney fans are furious with new trash can change in unbelievable show of rage <a href="https://t.co/mQupi6DtDS">https://t.co/mQupi6DtDS</a> <a href="https://t.co/9WDXxuSZfV">pic.twitter.com/9WDXxuSZfV</a>
— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/2088050824995848643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Yes I know there’s bigger issues in the world. but it just baffles me how modern Disney can f-k up something as simple as the trash can,&#8221; one Reddit user wrote. 
A TikTok commenter described eating on top of a trash can at an EPCOT festival as “basically a rite of passage,” adding that it was “Not glamorous. But PRACTICAL.” 
On Instagram, the reaction was more blunt: “Where am I supposed to EAT?!&#8221; one person wrote.
The new cans open either by pulling the chute by hand or by pressing a foot pedal for hands-free use. In a Facebook post, Walt Disney World Cast and Community declared, “Same magic. Smarter can,” and added, “These next-generation Disney trash cans are designed to support the incredible work cast members do every day, helping keep the parks sparkling and ready for unforgettable memories.&#8221;
The older flat-top cans had even developed somewhat of their own following over the years. Original cans have sold at auction for thousands of dollars.

Disney World

Disney Quietly Changes Park Staple And Fans Are Furious

Disney

Solar Power

trash

Curtis Sliwa on <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/curtis-sliwa-calls-out-9-11-families-demanding-nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdani-stay-away-from-ceremony-stop-being-sore-losers/">Thursday</a> told relatives of 9/11 victims who want New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani kept away from this year&#8217;s Ground Zero commemoration to &#8220;stop being sore losers,&#8221; arguing that they should respect the office even if they disagree with the person holding it.
“He’s the mayor. Stop being sore losers!&#8221; Sliwa told reporters Thursday. &#8220;You knew this is Zohran Mamdani. He was never a fake, phony, fraudulent, fugazi like a lot of politicians. He told you who he was.&#8221;
Some relatives of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have backed a petition urging Mamdani not to attend this year&#8217;s ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks, which killed 2,977 people.
Giovanni Galante, whose 29-year-old wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was killed on 9/11 and who helped organize the petition, accused Mamdani of failing to &#8220;meaningfully acknowledge the horror&#8221; of the attacks and associating with people who have minimized them.
Fellow petition organizer Cheri Sparacio, whose husband, Thomas, was killed on 9/11, separately pointed to Mamdani&#8217;s association with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who said in 2019 that &#8220;America deserved 9/11&#8221; before later apologizing for the comment.
Mamdani has said he intends to attend the September 11 ceremony despite the opposition.
Sliwa, who ran against Mamdani and former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the Republican candidate in last year&#8217;s mayoral election, said victims&#8217; families are free to express their disapproval of Mamdani but argued that the mayor&#8217;s office itself deserves respect.
Sliwa called the entire effort ridiculous while speaking with reporters. 
&#8220;Once he got elected, you should have known he was going to be there at 9/11,&#8221; Sliwa said. &#8220;Now, if you choose to turn your back on him, I don’t want to ever tell family members what they should be doing on this holiday, not holiday, but this solemn occasion, that’s your choice. 
&#8220;But I believe you respect the office,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;He’s the mayor. He’s representing the city.”
Sliwa also revisited a controversial exchange involving Cuomo and radio host Sid Rosenberg during the closing stretch of the 2025 mayoral campaign.
Rosenberg had joked with Cuomo, who was running as an independent, that Mamdani would cheer for the terrorists if another September 11 attack occurred while he held office. Cuomo chuckled before responding, &#8220;That&#8217;s another problem.&#8221; 
Sliwa said Thursday that the comment damaged Cuomo politically at a moment when the former governor had been gaining momentum.
“He was gaining traction, and then he made that stupid remark and then didn’t handle it well,&#8221; Sliwa said. &#8220;And then Zohran exploited the hell out of it, as he should.&#8221; 
&#8220;That was Islamophobic,” Sliwa added.
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Leona Salinas