News Highlights 07 July 2025
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 6, 2025 [ISW]
Key Takeaways:
Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be trying to increase volunteer recruitment among the Russian population, likely due to waning domestic support for the Kremlin's crypto-mobilization efforts.
Russian forces conducted a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of July 5 to 6, including a "double-tap strike" against emergency responders. Recent adaptations to Russian long-range drone technologies and strike tactics suggests that Russian strikes against civilian targets are very likely intentional.
Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) has stopped reporting on the number of deaths in Russia, likely as part of Kremlin efforts to conceal Russia's losses from the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Borova. Russian forces recently advanced near Novopavlivka.
Iran Update, July 6, 2025 [ISW]
Key Takeaways:
Iran is targeting minorities for perceived disloyalty, which will almost certainly reinforce pre-existing anti-regime sentiment and could spark more unrest over time. Iran‘s aggressive targeting of minorities for perceived disloyalty may not act as the proximate trigger for major protests, but it will contribute to frustrations that could explode into mass protests after a salient event, as happened during the Mahsa Amini protests.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance since moving to a secure location on June 12 at the start of the Iran-Israel War.
Likely Houthi fighters attacked a Liberian-flagged ship off the coast of Hudaydah, Yemen, on July 6.
[I posted this yesterday, but am reposting the original article from the WSJ which provides much more detail.]
A New Palestinian Offer for Peace With Israel [WSJ]
Hebron’s sheikhs propose to leave the Palestinian Authority and join the Abraham Accords.
Their plan is for Hebron to break out of the Palestinian Authority, establish an emirate of its own, and join the Abraham Accords.
“The Emirate of Hebron shall recognize the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people,” the sheikhs write, “and the State of Israel shall recognize the Emirate of Hebron as the Representative of the Arab residents in the Hebron District.” Accepting Israel as a Jewish state goes further than the Palestinian Authority ever has, and sweeps aside decades of rejectionism.
The sheikhs propose that Israel would admit 1,000 workers from Hebron for a trial period, then 5,000 more. Sheikh Jaabari and another major sheikh say Mr. Barkat has told them this number will grow to 50,000 workers or more from Hebron. Work in Israel is a valuable source of income for Palestinian communities, which have had little development of their own under Palestinian Authority rule, but most permits were suspended after Oct. 7. The sheikhs’ letter pledges “zero tolerance” for terrorism by workers, “in contrast to the current situation in which the Palestinian Authority pays tributes to the terrorists.”
With their bold move, the sheikhs expect to swing Israeli public opinion to their side. “Nobody in Israel believes in the PA, and you won’t find many Palestinians who do either,” Mr. Barkat says. “Sheikh Jaabari wants peace with Israel and to join the Abraham Accords, with the support of his fellow sheikhs. Who in Israel is going to say no?”
A document in Hebrew lists the Hebron-area sheikhs who have joined the emirate initiative. The first circle has eight major sheikhs, who together are believed to lead 204,000 local residents. The second circle lists 13 more sheikhs, who lead another 350,000. That makes a majority of the more than 700,000 people in the area. Both circles have sworn allegiance to Sheikh Jaabari in this matter, an Israeli associate of the sheikh witnessed. Those clan members also include many of the Palestinian Authority’s local foot soldiers. The sheikhs expect them to side with family.
“I plan to cut off the PA,” Sheikh Jaabari says. “It doesn’t represent the Palestinians.” The clans governed their own localities for hundreds of years, he says. Then “the Israeli state decided for us. It brought the PLO and told the Palestinians: Take this.” Yasser Arafat’s PLO had been exiled to Tunisia, after being chased out of Jordan and Lebanon, when the first Oslo Accord in 1993 installed it in the West Bank. This was called the peace process, but the sheikh says he never saw any peace from it.
Four other Hebron sheikhs, whom I interview separately over Zoom, are even more strident. “The PLO called itself a liberation movement. But once they got control, they act only to steal the money of the people,” one major sheikh says. “They don’t have the right to represent us—not them and not Hamas, only we ourselves.”
Many more sheikhs have joined the initiative since March, and the leaders are confident they have the Palestinian Authority outmanned and outgunned. “The people are with us,” one sheikh says. “Nobody respects the PA, nobody wants them.” The only reason to wait for Israel “is because it protects the PA.”
The sheikhs say they can remove the PA from Hebron in a week, or a day, depending on how aggressively they move. “Just don’t get involved,” a leading Hebron sheikh advises Israel. “Be out of the picture.” They believe Mr. Trump’s support can clinch it with Mr. Netanyahu.
They also say they’re capable and motivated to fight terrorism. “We know who makes problems and who doesn’t,” one says, “because we live in our land.” Ideology and extremism are threats to the tribal loyalty and economic pragmatism on which the sheikhs’ power depends.
[Here is the archive of this article.
Fascinating. Very fascinating.
Hebron City has a population of about 200,000, but the Hebron Governorate (think county) has a population of about 700,000, as noted above. The Hebron Governorate covers the entire southern section of the West Bank and is bordered in the north by the Bethlehem Governorate. The Emirate of Hebron would recognize Israel as a state and its right to exist. This deal can offer unprecedented security for Israel in the future as it slowly, but surely proves it wants peace with Israel.
Heck, a deal in the south of the West Bank may very well produce a deal across the entire West Bank with other Sheikhs in the future and completely replace the Palestinian Authority.
This may very well solve the Gaza situation too. As noted previously, Gazan clans are starting to oppose Hamas.]
[A day ago, I also presented this post.]
Citizen Free Press @CitizenFreePres
ONLY 36 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS ARE PROUD TO BE AMERICAN.
[If you did not listen to the video, 90% of Republicans were proud to be American during Obama's Presidency. It is now up to 92%. Basically, it has hovered around 90% for Republicans regardless of the party in power. Only Democrats have lost faith in the USA. What I did not do is provide the source of this poll. It is from Gallup.]
American Pride Slips to New Low [Gallup]
Pride among Democrats tumbles, while independents also hit new low, more than offsetting increase among Republicans
A record-low 58% of U.S. adults say they are “extremely” (41%) or “very” (17%) proud to be an American, down nine percentage points from last year and five points below the prior low from 2020. The 41% who are “extremely proud” is not statistically different from prior lows of 38% in 2022 and 39% in 2023, indicating most of the change this year is attributable to a decline in the percentage who are “very proud.”
These findings are from a June 2-19 Gallup poll conducted before the June 21 U.S. military action in Iran. It is unknown whether Americans’ national pride has been affected by that action.
A record-low 58% of U.S. adults say they are “extremely” (41%) or “very” (17%) proud to be an American, down nine percentage points from last year and five points below the prior low from 2020.
In January 2001, when Gallup first asked Americans how proud they were, 87% said they were extremely or very proud. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the figure increased to 90%, and it held at that level or higher between 2002 and 2004.
Democrats are mostly responsible for the drop in U.S. pride this year, with 36% saying they are extremely or very proud, down from 62% a year ago. This is only the second time Democrats’ pride has fallen below the majority level, along with a 42% reading in 2020, the last year of the first Trump administration. That poll was conducted during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and shortly after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.
Political independents’ pride has also reached a low point, with 53% expressing a great deal of pride, down seven points from last year, which had been the previous low for this group. Independents’ pride has been declining since the early 2000s, dropping below 80% for the first time in 2005, then below 70% in 2019 and below 60% this year.
Republicans' level of national pride has been much steadier, typically registering above 90%, including 92% this year, up from 85% in 2024. The only years in which fewer than nine in 10 Republicans were proud were 2016 and 2020 through 2024. All but 2020 were when a Democratic president was in office.
The youngest two generations, millennials (born between 1980 and 1996) and Generation Z (born after 1996), are the most distinct. From 2021 to 2025, less than half (41%) of adults who belong to Generation Z have been extremely or very proud to be Americans, compared with 58% of millennials. The rate increases to 71% of Generation X, 75% of the baby boom generation and 83% of the Silent Generation.
What Happened In 2013-2014 That Caused Democrat Pride In America To Fall Off A Cliff? [Legal Insurrection]
The Black Lives Matter hashtag and slogan was developed in 2013 in reaction to the (lawful self-defense) shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. The following year, 2014, the organization was formalized by self-avowed “trained Marxists” after the (lawful) police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
[Interesting analysis.
A Fox New poll tells a bit of a different story.]
Under President Trump, the highest amount of Americans are proud of our country in 14 YEARS.
Why?
Because under President Trump, Republicans are delivering, government is Putting the American People First Again, we're slashing bureaucracy, and we are Making America Great Again.
[Data from the Fox News Poll:
Are you proud of the country today?
June 2025 Yes: 58%; No: 41%
June 2024: 45%; 52%
June 2023: 44%; 53%
June 2022: 39%; 56%
June 2017: 51%; 45%
June 2016: 50%; 46%
June 2011: 69%; 28%
June 13-16, 2025; Registered Voters +- 3%
So, are we at a 14 year high or not?
You decide.
When one has that many not proud of their country, one has many spies during a time of war.]
Feds Crack Down on North Korean Spies Working Remote IT Jobs Through American ‘Laptop Farms’ [Breitbart]
The DOJ has busted 29 North Korean laptop farms across 16 states, alleging that illicit IT workers located in the communist dictatorship obtained employment with over 100 American companies to help fund the regime’s weapons programs.
The DOJ announced this week that it has conducted a series of actions targeting North Korean IT workers who have successfully infiltrated American companies. The operation included two indictments, an arrest, searches of 29 known or suspected “laptop farms” across 16 states, and the seizure of 29 financial accounts used for money laundering and 21 fraudulent websites.
Report: Federal Officials Arrest More than 200 Criminals in Joint Operation [Breitbart]
Federal officials arrested more than 200 criminals as part of a joint operation in New Jersey called “Operation Apex Hammer,” according to a New York Post report.
The operation, which involved federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, saw 264 wanted criminals, such as illegal aliens “wanted for sex crimes” and criminals wanted for murder or sexual offenses, arrested, according to the outlet. Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba and United States Marshal Juan Mattos Jr. led the operation.
Per the outlet, out of the criminals arrested, there were “17 homicide suspects, 95 gang members,” and others who were “wanted for serious violent and sexual offenses.”
Bongino Drops a Truth Bomb Destroying the New York Times [PJ Media]
On Saturday, the New York Times editorial board published an article claiming that Trump’s “politicized FBI” has “made Americans less safe.”
That’s rich. I’m old enough to remember when the Obama administration and the Biden administration actually did weaponize the FBI against Donald Trump. And I’m pretty sure everyone on the NYT editorial board is, too.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino wrote a scathing response to the article, calling it “precisely why hard-working Americans simply do not trust the media.” Bongino’s tweet, which quickly gained traction online, took direct aim at what he described as a “poorly thought out hit piece” that misrepresented the sweeping reforms he and Director Patel have implemented at the Bureau.
Backing up his rebuttal with a barrage of statistics, Bongino offered a “small snippet of data points” that he says prove the effectiveness of the FBI’s new direction. Among the highlights, he touted the Bureau’s violent crime initiative, “Summer Heat,” which he notes has the murder rate “trending to be the lowest in U.S. history by a longshot.” He promised that “Summer Heat is coming to a city or town near you soon as we assist your community in removing criminal predators from the streets.”
Bongino didn’t stop there. He detailed that the FBI’s renewed focus on violent crime has led to the arrest of 14,000 violent criminals—a 62% increase from the same period last year. “We rescued over one hundred children from being preyed on, while arresting over 825 violent child predators, and 140 human traffickers,” he added.
Subway riders deliver street justice to brute who grabbed screaming woman on platform [Fox]
A group of everyday New York City subway riders delivered some street justice to a crazed man who randomly grabbed a screaming woman on a platform and ushered her forward, dramatic viral video shows.
The group sprang into action on Sunday morning atop a Brooklyn subway platform when they heard the young woman screech for help as the heavy-set man bear hugged her from behind and propelled her forward.
"Stop, stop, help," the 20-year-old woman can be heard yelling as a group of onlookers quickly surrounds him and demands that he let her go.
[And, so it begins.
Vigilantism always begins when the government does not adequately enforce laws and prosecute crimes.]
WATCH:
BREAKING – Months after settling a $16 million suit with President Trump, George Stephanopoulos is again spreading lies as he blames Trump for the Kerr County flash flood while citing staffing shortfalls at the NWS.
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) July 6, 2025
Easily debunked pic.twitter.com/YgqzkfckJA
— Immortal Patriot (@BasedImmortal) July 6, 2025
Is another lawsuit against Stephanopoulos and ABC in the cards? One would advise the Democrat henchman to issue a quick retraction so he does not have to find out.
Americans face vastly different retirement costs across states as Social Security cuts loom [Fox]
Hawaii tops the list requiring $3.7M for a comfortable retirement while West Virginia needs just $1.3M
1930 Preliminary work begins on the Hoover Dam [History]
On July 7, 1930, building begins on the future site of the Hoover Dam. Over the next five years, a total of 21,000 men would work ceaselessly to produce what would be the largest dam of its time, as well as one of the largest manmade structures in the world.
Although the dam would take only five years to build, its construction was nearly 30 years in the making. Arthur Powell Davis, an engineer from the Bureau of Reclamation, originally had his vision for the Hoover Dam back in 1902, and his engineering report on the topic became the guiding document when plans were finally made to begin the dam in 1922.
Astronomy Picture of the Day [NASA]