US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is again taking aim at Cuba. This time, however, the Trump administration is framing Havana as a decades-long sponsor of terrorism and espionage that has helped cultivate the “radical left” in the United States.As part of this, the administration is making pains to link Cuba with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which is growing politically in the US, thanks to Zohran Mamdani’s win as New York City mayor and other victories.And it comes against the backdrop of fear-mongering by US President Donald Trump about the prospect of communism threatening the US again. He has specifically linked Democrats to communism, as well.So, why is the Trump administration making this spurious argument, and why now? What the administration is allegingLast week, the US State Department published a nearly 100-page report titled “Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism”. The report’s core claim is that Cuba has spent over half a century influencing and aiding the domestic left in the US. Among its more extraordinary allegations:the far-left Weather Underground had direct contact with Cuban officials and Cuban spies in the 1970s, who helped facilitate the group’s bombings in the USdelegations of other “American radicals” travelled to Cuba during that decade to learn urban terrorism and guerrilla tactics Cuban intelligence today treats infiltrating US universities as a top priority leftist activists in the US and elsewhere routinely make “revolutionary tourism” excursions to the island, and the DSA specifically maintains a “fierce, almost religious commitment to the cause of the Cuban regime”.That framing collapses under scrutiny. The report anchors its argument in a handful of genuine espionage and terrorism cases. But it then tries to connect these with more innocuous activities: attending a Cuban-organised trip, expressing solidarity with Havana, or opposing the US embargo on the island. This echoes a long US tradition of using national security as a premise to target leftist movements. This includes everything from the targeting of civil rights and labour organisers during the McCarthy era to the Cold War surveillance of anti-war activists.Equally telling is what the report leaves out: six decades of documented US covert action against Cuba, including assassination plots and support for armed exile groups.The report also came just days after Rubio convened delegations from dozens of countries in Washington for a conference on “resurgent far-left political terrorism”. At the event, he said the threat of far-left violence “can no longer be denied” and that it was “time to crush this evil forever”. And in May, the White House released a new counterterrorism strategy that called “violent left-wing extremists” one of three terror threats facing the US (alongside narcoterrorists and Islamist terror groups). There was no mention of neo-Nazi or other far-right groups. Why now?Viewed against this wider context, the State Department report dramatically amplifies the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on Cuba. In the past few months, Washington has imposed an oil blockade on Cuba, expanded economic sanctions against the island, directly sanctioned President Miguel Díaz-Canel and members of former leader Raúl Castro’s family, and secured a criminal indictment against Castro himself.This economic warfare has pushed the island towards humanitarian collapse. UN experts have condemned it as a serious violation of international law.Trump has repeatedly floated a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, and his officials have not ruled out direct military action if Havana does not yield. Rubio’s report and recent statements now provide the ideological framework to justify such an action.What is driving the timing of this coordinated campaign is harder to explain. However, two factors appear to be converging. First, the administration is seeking a foreign policy “victory” after the costly and inconclusive war with Iran. The other is the midterm elections in November. A hardline stance on Cuba could help the Republican Party shore up support with its base. It also allows the party to frame the US left as being aligned with foreign forces and supporters of “communism”.The more consequential question is what could come next. The administration has created a premise for action on several fronts: further measures against Havana, including a possible military operationexpanded moves against US left-wing organisations, such as targeting their tax-exempt status or fundingdesignating left-wing groups as terror organisations, and increased pressure on European governments to act against their own leftist organisations.The brunt of the Trump administration’s actions, however, will be felt by the Cuban people themselves, who have long been scapegoats and collateral damage of their powerful neighbour to the north.
White House officials are increasingly concerned President Donald Trump may imminently execute a plan to launch massive attacks on Iran that could have catastrophic consequences, Zeteo reported. Trump intends to stage a major military escalation to force Iran back to the negotiating table on more favorable terms, Trump told Axios. However, virtually everyone in his inner circle believes the plan will fail and cause severe harm. One White House adviser called it a "terrible idea," while another senior official claimed, "Trump has no way out." A third official warned there is "almost no scenario where Americans don't die" if Trump proceeds. Despite this consensus, administration insiders admitted they are "too scared" to tell the president his plan won't work, instead soft-selling concerns. The New York Times reported a Friday meeting where Trump's advisers mostly counseled against intensifying Iran attacks.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Critics of President Donald Trump mocked him on Monday over claims he made about health care during a rally at a General Motors plant in Michigan.Trump spoke to a crowd at the General Motors Milford Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, where he defended his economic record amid souring polls. At one point, Trump repeated a promise that he and other Republicans have made for multiple years, one that some political analysts zeroed in on in their rebukes. "We will pass The Great Health Care Plan," Trump said. "That's what it's called. 'The Great Health Care Plan,' to stop all payments to big insurance companies and give the money directly to you, the people, so that they can buy their own health care, which will be much less expensive and be a much better health care."Trump has repeatedly spoken out against the Affordable Care Act, which Democrats passed under the Obama administration. He has sought to repeal it. However, neither Trump nor Republicans have put forward a plan to replace the law, which voters still find popular.Trump also claimed that the "Great Health Care Plan" would be unveiled during a recent rally in Georgia. He also told crowds at a Turning Point USA event and a "No Tax on Social Security" event that the plan would soon be released.Critics reacted to Trump's claims on social media. "OH WOW! The Great Health Care Plan is coming! Alert the media! This is it! (He's lying...this isn't a plan...it's all BS)" Fred Wellman, a Democratic candidate for office in Missouri, posted on X. "Trump’s made this promise FOR 9 YEARS, but you wouldn’t know that since the page with the transcript has seemingly been removed!" California Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office posted on X. "It's coming in two weeks!" Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, posted on X. Trump: We will pass the great healthcare plan. That's what it's called—the Great Healthcare plan to stop all payments to big insurance companies and give the money directly to you, the people, so that they can buy their own healthcare, which will be much less expensive and be a… pic.twitter.com/7kxmhiP0eu— Acyn (@Acyn) July 27, 2026
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin maintains an investment of up to $1 million in Botanic Tonics, a company manufacturing Feel Free energy drinks.Feel Free is widely known as "gas station heroin" due to its addictive properties, reports Punch Up. The company's founder, J.W. Ross, a convicted felon who has admitted deliberately testing abusive dosages before launching the product, said he knew people would abuse it. Feel Free combines kratom and kava, plant-based compounds that act on the brain's opioid receptors, exploiting neurological pathways that make opioids addictive. "In February 2010, Cash pleaded guilty to a federal charge of falsely certifying the company’s financial controls. That November, U.S. District Judge Stephen Friot sentenced him to nine years in federal prison and ordered him to repay $5 million, rebuking him,” according to the FBI’s account of the hearing.Notably, Mullin championed a federal crackdown in July that specifically spared Feel Free while targeting competitors. Both Mullin and Ross are Oklahoma businessmen with connections to Broken Arrow, where Botanic Tonics operates. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on whether Mullin and Ross have ever communicated or met.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Salamanca City Central says it is pausing project with Realbotix as it addresses concerns including data privacyA New York school district has walked back plans to introduce a humanoid robot at its high school after the proposal sparked backlash from educators and community members.The Salamanca City Central school district announced on 24 July in a social media post that its pilot project with Toronto-based tech company Realbotix had been put on hold “while we work through enhanced student data privacy agreements with the New York State Education Department and continue engaging with our community and stakeholders”. Continue reading...
President Trump spent his entire Sunday on a bender, posting nonstop AI images to his Truth Social page for more than six hours.It started at 11:16 a.m. with an AI image of CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins as transgender model Dylan Mulvaney holding cans of Bud Light, and escalated from there. Bruce Springsteen, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Representative Jerry Nadler, and Trump’s longtime nemesis Rosie O’Donnell were among those targeted in his posting binge. He also posted several flattering photos of himself in mock-up movie posters and, in one instance, standing next to former President John F. Kennedy.None of the images had any text attached to them, and were interspersed with some of his campaign photos and pro-Iran war propaganda. At one point, he posted nine Iran war memes three times in a row in the span of just over an hour.It’s pretty clear that the octogenarian president is experiencing cognitive decline and had some kind of episode Sunday. It’s been evident throughout his second term as president, but as of late, he’s thrown a tablet across a room after a bad phone call with world leaders, rambled about the history of paper clips in the middle of a speech, and zoned out in the middle of a photo op. It’s a terrifying thought to realize that we still have two years of Trump occupying the Oval Office with his mental state only growing worse.
Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Megan Romer discusses the DSA's place in the Democratic Party, responds to concerns about the organization's policy platform, explains why the U.S. Senate is an "anachronistic institution" and should be replaced by a unicameral, parliamentary legislature, and how the best way to reduce illegal immigraton would be for the U.S. to "stop destabilizing other countries," on ‘Fox News Sunday.'
President Donald Trump alarmed onlookers on Sunday after he went on an hours-long AI picture posting spree on Truth Social. In all, Trump posted more than 40 AI-generated photos over multiple hours on Truth Social. Some of the photos included Trump standing on top of an Iranian oil tanker declaring "It is our oil tanker now!" and three late-night comedians who recently drew the president's ire panhandling on a sidewalk. There was also the all-too-expected jab at Rosie O'Donnell, who has been feuding with the president for nearly two decades. The photos were posted on a day when reporters caught Trump out playing golf and inspecting the White House renovations. Political analysts and observers reacted with concern to Trump's posting spree. "Trump is having a mental health episode on social media right now," posted Harry Sisson, a Democratic influencer with over 394,000 followers on X. "He’s insane. 25th Amendment NOW.""If anyone still believes our president is not an unhinged sociopath, please check out his fake Twitter feed from this afternoon," S.V. Dáte, White House at HuffPost, posted on X. "A man who posts this 'joke' this many times is not joking. This is pure delusion," Vance Wilson, a liberal political commentator, posted on X. "I am confident he will try to find some way to run in 2028. He may not succeed at the Supreme Court, but I am nearly certain he doesn’t see this as a 'joke.'"
