Summary
Trump claims Iran wants talks; Tehran again denies any US negotiations.
Trump says Gulf allies halted planned US strikes in favor of diplomacy.
Iran says Hormuz talks with Oman are progressing, but US actions remain the obstacle.
Oil prices still falling on optimism over Hormuz negotiations & uptick in transit.
Tehran is betting it can outlast Trump by raising the costs of confrontation.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino apparently decided to make sure Rubio never forgot the viral moment.
“Dan Scavino made a whole BOARD for me, and he’s updated it with all the different pictures,” Rubio revealed.
U.S. State Department Issues Worldwide Security Warning as Trump Announces Iran Talks, Says Regional Allies Urged Him to Halt Planned Strikes
https://x.com/TravelGov/status/2083542278857998503
Texas Approves AI Data Center Co-Location Next To Wind Farm, With Curtailment Caveats
The Public Utility Commission of Texas last week approved a net metering arrangement for a 260-MW AI data center co-located with a wind farm of approximately the same capacity in a case that could serve as a template for other co-located loads in the Lone Star State.
The data center is the second one planned for the site, and the developer had argued it should not be subject to the same curtailment requirements as the first because the total load of both – about 525 MW – exceeds the generation resource’s capacity of 265.5 MW.
The commission rejected that argument. According to the July 23 order, the data center must be capable of curtailing its full load within 30 minutes during grid emergencies, with physical breaker disconnection if necessary. It is also barred from participating in paid demand response programs tied to the arrangement.
The proceeding represents one of the first major tests of Texas’ SB 6, which became law last year and established new rules for large loads in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ territory, including giving the grid operator the authority to disconnect data centers during grid emergencies.
Rather than creating a project-specific exception, commissioners largely adopted ERCOT’s proposed reliability conditions. The order allows the co-location arrangement to move forward while establishing operating requirements for future behind-the-meter projects.
Chris Talley, co-founder of GridTracker, wrote in a LinkedIn post following the decision that the order is not a “death blow” to co-location in ERCOT.
“It just means that this architecture now essentially requires full backup capacity,” he said.
In a follow-up message to Utility Dive, Talley clarified that by “full backup,” he meant resources capable of carrying the load off-grid for a meaningful period of time, rather than simply riding through a short interruption. He cautioned that this was an “untested assumption” and pointed to a pending co-location application from Amazon and Vistra to build a data center campus next to the Comanche Peak nuclear plant, southwest of Fort Worth, as a case to watch.
“How ERCOT and the Commission treat that arrangement will be very telling,” Talley said.
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/texas-approves-ai-data-center-co-location-next-wind-farm-curtailment-caveats
Religious Jews attack Christian monastery in Jerusalem
Six suspects were arrested after spitting on the entrance and hurling stones at the historic compound
Six religious Jews have been arrested after attacking the historic St. James Armenian Monastery in Jerusalem’s Old City, according to Israeli police.
The group, consisting of five minors and one adult, were caught on video spitting on and banging against the monastery entrance on Sunday night before throwing stones at the walls of the compound, which serves as the regional headquarters of the Armenian Church.
When an Armenian woman began filming the attack from a nearby building, the assailants hurled stones toward her window and shouted abuse at her.
Police subsequently located and arrested all six suspects. Three have been barred from entering the Old City for 15 days, while police have asked a Jerusalem court to extend the detention of the remaining three.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2084118464126738725
More bioweapon attacks!
Rare virus with no cure detected in New York
There is no vaccine or medicine to prevent or treat the Bourbon virus, which is transmitted by the lone star tick
The first case of Bourbon virus has been confirmed in New York, prompting researchers to call for expanded surveillance and testing amid warnings that the rare tick-borne infection may be more widespread than currently known.
Discovered in 2014 and named after Bourbon County, Kansas, where it was first identified, the virus is believed to be transmitted by the lone star tick. There is no vaccine or medicine available to prevent or treat the illness. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, rash, headache, body aches, nausea, and vomiting.
Only six human cases have been reported since the virus was identified, primarily in the central US. The first known patient, diagnosed in Kansas in 2014, died.
According to a Stony Brook Medicine study released last month, Bourbon virus “could soon begin to complicate diagnoses if it becomes more prevalent this summer and in coming years.”
Researchers studied blood samples from 107 patients who developed fever and other symptoms after recent tick bites in Suffolk County between 2019 and 2024 and found that two had antibodies to Bourbon virus.
One of the patients, a 67-year-old Long Island man, developed severe symptoms and was hospitalized after being bitten by lone star ticks in 2021. He was initially treated with doxycycline for suspected Lyme disease, but his fatigue and severe headaches failed to improve. He eventually made a full recovery, but a re-examination of his test results showed an eightfold increase in Bourbon virus antibody levels over one month, confirming the infection.
“There are a lot of lone star ticks in New York and in the Northeast. We have dense populations, and when someone is infected with Bourbon virus, the symptoms are similar to those of other tick-borne infections,” Dr. Luis Marcos, a Stony Brook Medicine professor and director of its Tick-Borne Disease Clinic, said.
“For these reasons, the Bourbon virus is likely more prevalent than we think in our region, and other cases are likely going undiagnosed.”
No commercial diagnostic test is currently available, and suspected samples in New York must be sent to the state Department of Health for specialized analysis. The researchers called for expanded surveillance and testing, arguing that without identifying the cause of an infection, the chances of developing accurate diagnostic tests or effective treatments “are minimal.”
Lone star ticks are aggressive, reddish-brown, blood-feeding arachnids. Adult females are identifiable by a prominent white dot on their backs, while nymphs and adult females most frequently bite humans and spread disease, according to the CDC.
Previously concentrated in the southern US, the species has spread across much of the eastern US and can now be found as far north as Maine. Its bites can transmit ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus disease, and tularemia. It has also been linked to southern tick-associated rash illness and alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.
https://www.rt.com/news/643787-bourbon-virus-new-york/
https://www.antiwar.com/
America has been hijacked by the Sanhedrin, the Sanhedrin put Jesus to death!
Former Mossad head Barnea joins US defense company Ondas Inc. as new global president, chairman
Ondas stated that Barnea will work with entities in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, where investments in autonomous defense systems are increasing.
Former Mossad chief David Barnea has joined US-based defense technology company Ondas Inc. as global president and chairman, the company announced on Monday.
According to Ondas, Barnea will support the company’s global expansion, development of strategic technology, and defense and government relationships.
The defense company credited Barnea with strengthening the Mossad’s intelligence, technological, and operational capabilities during his tenure there, citing his leadership as the driving factor behind this new appointment.
According to Ondas, he will support the company’s strategy to build unified defense technology platforms with AI-enabled software aimed at integrating intelligence, communications, and decision-making into operational execution.
Ondas stated that Barnea will work with entities in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, where investments in autonomous defense systems are increasing.
Ondas expanding with autonomous strike, counter-drone technologies
The appointment comes as the company is in a period of expansion, having recently secured millions of dollars of orders for unmanned ground systems, autonomous precision-strike technologies, and counter-drone measures, it noted.
“The nature of warfare is changing rapidly, as demonstrated by the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine,” Barnea said. “Operational advantage increasingly depends on the ability to combine intelligence, artificial intelligence, resilient communications, autonomous platforms and precision capabilities into one coordinated operational environment.
Barnea added that he looks forward to working with Ondas “to support the Company’s global expansion and help develop the next generation of AI-enabled, multi-domain defense systems.”
https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-904462
Is this a threat????
Rep. Randy Fine says Americans must put up with the burden of higher costs from the Iran War "until we win."
"As much as it stinks to pay an extra dollar for a gallon of gas…think about the damage of a nuclear bomb going off in Washington, or New York, or Miami."
https://x.com/infolibnews/status/2084107557300220272
How The Kushners Almost Bought The World Cup: FIFA’s Secret $20 Billion Conspiracy
FIFA President Gianni Infantino finds himself on the brink of political collapse. His plan to sell a 20% stake in the organization’s commercial subsidiary to private investors for $20 billion triggered an unprecedented rebellion from football’s leading confederations. UEFA threatened a boycott of all FIFA tournaments, including the World Cups, and was swiftly joined by CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation. At the center of the scandal lies the investment company of Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, which was set to become the deal’s “anchor investor.” According to media reports, Infantino has already turned to the Trump administration in a desperate attempt to save his job. The story has exposed not only the corrupt underbelly of football’s highest echelons but also the direct link between the Kushner family and the US president’s inner circle that nearly brought global football to the brink of a split.
The scandal erupted in late July 2026, when Infantino’s plan to create a commercial entity called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) and sell 20% of its shares to private investors for $20 billion came to light. Under the FIFA president’s proposal, each of the 211 national associations would receive $20 million upfront and an additional $66 million by 2037. However, UEFA’s leadership viewed the initiative as an attempt to “transfer ownership of the World Cup to private investors.” In an emergency statement, the European confederation emphasized that “the World Cup is not an investment product” and “will never be sold.” UEFA threatened that all 55 of its national associations would withdraw from any FIFA tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, until the plan was completely scrapped.
UEFA was immediately joined by CONCACAF (North and Central America), including the United States, Canada, and Mexico hosts of the 2026 World Cup as well as the Asian Football Confederation. In total, 143 national associations out of 211 opposed the plan. The AFC, in its statement, demanded an “urgent review of FIFA’s governance,” citing “fundamental weaknesses in consultation and decision-making processes.” Even CONMEBOL (South America), which had long remained on the sidelines, requested additional details from FIFA about the project’s structure and management.
On Friday evening, Infantino was forced to shelve the project. But his problems are only just beginning. Two senior FIFA officials publicly opposed the plan: the president’s special advisor, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned in protest, stating he “cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup.” Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, who had worked with Infantino since their UEFA days, accused him of deceiving staff through a lack of transparency, calling it “one man’s project.”
The central figure in the scandal is Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka. His New York-based investment company was set to become the deal’s “anchor investor” and receive a 20% stake in FFE. According to media reports, this was not Infantino’s first attempt to cozy up to Trump’s inner circle: he had previously established the “FIFA Peace Award,” allowed Trump to intervene in a process that resulted in US striker Folarin Balogun playing in the World Cup, and was now trying to seal a 12-year deal with Kushner’s firm.
Moreover, according to the NY Post, Infantino, coming under fire, turned to the Trump administration for help. The FIFA president requested a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a desperate bid to save his job, though Trump himself, when asked by reporters at Camp David, stated that he had “never spoken to him” about the proposal.
The FIFA scandal is not merely a story about football finances. It is a stark illustration of how personal ambition and political connections can jeopardize entire institutions. Infantino, who over 10 years in power, more than quadrupled funding for national associations, believed he could bypass all democratic procedures, relying on the support of 211 votes he had grown accustomed to buying with money. But he miscalculated: European and American football officials proved unwilling to sell the planet’s biggest sports brand to private investors, even for generous promises.
https://southfront.press/how-the-kushners-almost-bought-the-world-cup-fifas-secret-20-billion-conspiracy/
James Comey’s Daughter Is in the Epstein Files and New Mexico Wants Answers
New Mexico's attorney general was eight days away from searching Jeffrey Epstein's ranch.
Then a federal prosecutor called and told him to stop.
What that prosecutor put in writing just surfaced in the Epstein files.
The Epstein Files Just Surfaced a Handwritten Note That Exposes the Zorro Ranch Deal
On July 23, 2019, Maurene Comey – James Comey's daughter and an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York – reached the office of Hector Balderas, then New Mexico's attorney general, by phone.
The deal she brokered was simple: New Mexico stops all interviews, halts its investigation, and hands over its evidence to the feds. In return, the SDNY would pass back any state-related material once the federal case wrapped up.
Someone wrote those terms down. "Agreed NMDOJ will stop interviews + refer all matters to SDNY. SDNY will refer any state-related matters to NMAG @ [the] conclusion of SDNY case," the handwritten note reads. That note just surfaced in the newly released Epstein files.
Six weeks after that call, Maurene Comey sent an email confirming New Mexico had agreed to "cease any investigation into sex trafficking and share whatever they had gathered to date regarding sex trafficking activity" with her office.
New Mexico handed over everything. The SDNY gave back nothing.
"They burned me," Balderas told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "And now I think they're burning Raúl."
"It's very uncommon," Balderas said. "We had a history, by the way, of cooperating, working well with federal authorities in 2019."
The FBI also sat on a tip that two foreign girls were buried on the Zorro Ranch property – and never passed it to New Mexico. The tip came from someone claiming to be a former staff member. Unverified – but the kind of information that, under normal prosecutorial conduct, gets picked up and shared with state investigators who have jurisdiction.
It wasn't. Balderas only learned about it by combing through the newly released files himself.
"They could have called us back and said, 'Hey, we don't have probable cause, but anything related to bodies is state jurisdiction,'" Balderas told the DCNF. "They didn't keep their end of the deal. Plus, they didn't share critical information."
https://unmuzzlednews.com/james-comeys-daughter-is-in-the-epstein-files-and-new-mexico-wants-answers/?utm_source
US DOJ relying on anonymous Israeli intel agent to convict US resident of Oct 7 participation
US prosecutors are accusing a legal permanent resident of Louisiana of participating in the October 7 attacks in Israel. Yet their case relies almost entirely on intelligence from Israel which the defendant’s lawyers are unable to see, and an Israeli agent they can not identify.
That agent may be Lt. Col. Avi Kalo, who previously testified anonymously in the hyper-politicized, constitutionally questionable Holy Land Foundation trial.
The US Department of Justice has accused a 33-year-old Louisiana resident named Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi of joining Hamas’ attack on Israel on the morning of October 7. They say Muhtadi was a member of the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small resistance organization in Gaza, and that Muhtadi mobilized others to join the fight on October 7, when Hamas and other groups mounted their attack.
Prosecutors allege that he returned to Gaza after the attack, then applied for a US visa in June of 2024, met a consular official at the US embassy in Cairo in August of that year and immigrated to the US the next month, having lied about his connections with the DFLP on his visa application.
Muhtadi was arrested in October 2025. He was originally charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death and visa fraud. He has pled not guilty, and his family has condemned the government’s charges as “fabricated” and “false.”
As of June 17, prosecutors were already modifying some of their allegations. A superseding indictment filed by prosecutors that day removed the phrase “resulting in death” from the original conspiracy charge, according to The Advocate. It also added a second charge of conspiracy to provide support to a terrorist organization and a charge of making a false statement within the jurisdiction of the US (the last referring to statements on his visa application).
The bulk of the US government’s evidence comes from Israel. According to court documents, it was Israel that tipped American authorities off to Muhtadi and his alleged participation in the October 7 attacks. An Israeli cell phone provider says it captured Muhtadi’s cell phone pinging a tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which was attacked on October 7; Israel appears to have provided the US with phone calls they say Muhtadi made that day.
To certify the “authenticity” of the Israeli exhibits supposedly incriminating Muhtadi, the US DOJ has summoned an Israeli agent to testify. However, his identity is classified under Israeli law, making it nearly impossible for the defense to challenge his credibility during cross-examination.
According to court filings noted by journalist Ken Silva, that Israeli agent has been identified only as “Avi,” and is described as a “longtime employee of the Israeli security agency” who currently directs the Assessment Division of the Israeli Bureau of Counter-Terror Financing.
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/08/03/doj-israeli-evidence-idf-intel-agent-oct-7/
Israel protects Mexican official wanted for mass kidnap-murder, along with accused sex criminals and fraudsters
Israel has become a haven for international criminals. Many are dual-nationals who have taken advantage of their ability to move seamlessly between Israel and their second country of citizenship to commit crimes and, in some cases, evade justice.
The scale of the criminality, and the volume of cases (relative to the population of Israel), is astonishing.
Among the most notorious accused criminals being protected from justice by Israel is Timur Mindich, the ultimate financial beneficiary of the Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point. Mindich fled to Israel last year, just days before being charged as the mastermind behind a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving Ukraine’s state nuclear power company. Mindich also happens to be the co-owner of Kvartal 95 Studio, the production company founded by Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mindich, like many in this article, has taken advantage of Israel’s controversial Law of Return which allows any Jew in the world to claim Israeli citizenship without having to renounce their home country passport.
Some of those accused and charged have made minor or international headlines, some haven’t, but the scale of the issue was such that I thought it would be useful to document my research here.
In some cases, Israel has refused to extradite the wanted person despite requests from the country in which the crimes were committed.
Staying on Ukraine and refused extradition requests, we have Oleksandr Dubilet, the former Chairman of the Board of Ukraine’s PrivatBank. Dubilet is currently a fugitive in Israel and the subject of multiple criminal investigations and extradition requests for his role in embezzling at least $100 million dollars following the 2016 privatisation of PrivatBank. To date, Israel has refused to extradite him.
Israel as a bolthole for financial fraudsters is a common theme. One of the most significant SEC fraud cases in recent years involved over 150 Israelis (some with dual US-Israeli nationality, others not), wanted for their role in conducting binary options fraud worth upwards of $100 billion.
Binary options are a type of financial bet where the outcome is essentially all-or-nothing. Instead of buying a stock or currency, you bet on whether the price of a stock or currency will be above or below a certain level at a specific time. While not illegal, the Israeli companies were accused of rigging and manipulating prices and expiry times and using fake identities.
For a decade until 2017, Israel was the global centre for the online binary-options industry. The Israeli police failed to investigate, so hundreds of cases were filed in Israeli courts by people from dozens of countries who had been defrauded.
One of the most notorious fraudsters was Lee Elbaz, the CEO of Yukom Communications, a dual US-Israeli national. She was arrested in 2017 when on holiday in New York and eventually convicted of wire fraud and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Other prime Israeli movers in the binary options fraud business were Yossi Herzog and Yakov Cohen, both connected with Yukom and other binary options front companies. They were charged with $140 million fraud in 2019 but despite being under a DOJ criminal investigation the US choose not to pursue their extradition, while other Israeli co-conspirators in the Yukom case have joined Elbaz in serving jail sentences.
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/08/02/israel-mexican-official-wanted-for-mass-kidnap-murder-criminals-fraudsters/
UK charges over 1,500 people over signs opposing Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza
More than 3,500 individuals have been arrested under terror laws for holding signs that say 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine
https://thecradle.co/articles-id/39112