Via The Libertarian Institute

The ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have depleted US stockpiles of missile interceptors. The Pentagon has just a quarter of the Patriot missiles it needs.

According to the Guardian, “The United States only has about 25% of the Patriot missile interceptors it needs for all of the Pentagon’s military plans after burning through stockpiles in the Middle East in recent months, an alarming depletion that led to the Trump administration freezing the latest transfer of munitions to Ukraine.”

US weapons manufacturers can only produce approximately 500 Patriot missiles per year. The US used dozens of interceptors to defend Israel from Iranian retaliatory attacks last month.

Additionally, the Pentagon engaged in its largest Patriot battle in history to repel a symbolic Iranian missile attack on the US airbase in Qatar.

The US stockpile of air and missile defenses has been drained to aid Ukraine during the war with Russia. Missile interceptors are in short supply in the West.

In May, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio told Congress that “The Ukrainians asked for air defense systems – Patriot systems, which, frankly, we don’t have.”

“In fact, if the Ukrainians asked for anything additional, they asked for air defense systems, Patriot systems, which, frankly, we do not have. But we cannot produce them fast enough. And one of the problems we face in Ukraine is that ammunition is being used up much faster than we can produce it,” Rubio emphasized.

It is unclear if Trump reversed the Pentagon order to halt some arms transfers to Ukraine, including Patriot Missiles. During Monday’s dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump told reporters that he would “send some more weapons” to Ukraine.

❗️US and allies working to transfer Patriot systems to Ukraine, but lacking even for their own needs — Rubio

“In fact, if the Ukrainians asked for anything additional, they asked for air defense systems, Patriot systems, which, frankly, we do not have. But we cannot produce them… pic.twitter.com/WGtaU84SNB

— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) May 20, 2025

Patriot systems have been a crucial part of Ukraine’s air defenses. However, Russia has developed missiles to counter Patriot interceptors with increasing effectiveness.

After more than a week of stalled trash collection, closed libraries, and disrupted city services, the City of Philadelphia and its largest municipal union have reached a tentative agreement, bringing an end to a major strike that began July 1, according to NBC News.

For an idea of exactly how many DC 33 workers are integral to Philadelphia, try walking more than 10 blocks on either Broad or Market Street, from City Hall in any direction, and count how many of these DC33 jackets you see. Philadelphians will tell you – they’re everywhere, all the time. 

Nearly 10,000 members of District Council 33 (DC 33)—representing sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers, water department employees, and others—walked off the job after contract talks broke down. The union initially sought 8% annual raises over four years, totaling a 32% increase. The city had countered with a 7% total increase over three years.

Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the agreement early Wednesday morning, hours after both sides resumed negotiations Tuesday afternoon at the Community College of Philadelphia and worked through the night. “The work stoppage involving the District Council 33 and the City of Philadelphia is OVER,” Parker posted on social media. “We’re valuing our workforce and we’re safeguarding our city’s hard-earned fiscal stability at the same time. The strike is over!”

According to Parker, the deal—pending ratification by union members—combined with a one-year extension agreed to last fall, will raise DC 33 wages by 14% over her four-year term. “We’ll have much more to say about this historic deal tomorrow at City Hall,” she added.

While it is tough to distinguish trash piling up from the strike from the trash that’s normally sitting on the street in Philadelphia, the lack of sanitation workers was starting to become a serious issue for the city.

NBC News writes that union officials told workers to return to their jobs Wednesday or “as soon as they can get to work,” according to DC 33 Executive Director Ernest Garrett and city Labor Relations Director Harold Boulware. DC 33 confirmed the strike’s end on Facebook: “The strike is over! Details forthcoming.”

While some city services were restored during the strike via court orders—including police dispatch and parts of the water department—others remained disrupted. Overflowing trash drop-off sites and library closures became visual reminders of the walkout. Public support for the union grew after headliners LL Cool J and Jazmine Sullivan both pulled out of the city’s July 4th Wawa Welcome America concert, refusing to cross picket lines.

Mayor Parker had previously emphasized her commitment to boosting city worker pay, noting that she had already secured a 5% increase for fiscal year 2025. “We need you, we need you, members of District Council 33,” she said in a news conference before the strike.

Although this deal marks a significant breakthrough, the agreement still requires a formal vote from DC 33 members before it is finalized.

Authored by Alina Voss via RealClearEnergy,

An untapped energy savior might just be sitting on the ocean floor. From AI to defense to clean energy, critical minerals remain pivotal to securing the United States’ competitive edge. Unfortunately, supply chains remain precariously dependent on foreign control, often from adversarial nations like China, leaving the country vulnerable to price shocks, trade restrictions, and supply disruption. While bipartisan efforts are gathering momentum around ideas to strengthen U.S. mineral security through efforts like reviving domestic mining, strategic alliances, and even recycling programs, land-based deposits alone may not be enough to meet the explosive growth in demand anticipated over the coming decades. We may need to look deeper for solutions, specifically to the ocean floor.

Polymetallic nodules, potato-sized rocks found scattered across the seafloor, particularly in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), between Hawaii and Mexico. These nodules are rich in four of the same minerals needed to fuel clean energy supply chains: nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese. Unlike terrestrial sources, which often contain only one or two of these metals and require energy-intensive processing, seafloor nodules contain all four in high purity and are loosely embedded in sediment, meaning they can be collected with minimal crushing or waste rock removal. The CCZ alone is estimated to hold more nickel and cobalt than all known land-based reserves combined. They represent a rare convergence between vast untapped mineral resources and emerging technology in deep sea robotics and AI-powered collection technologies. If harnessed responsibly, it could prove determinative for the future of American clean energy security.

To catalyze the emergence of a domestic seafloor minerals industry, federal support should mirror successful precedents in space and semiconductor policy (like the COTS program or CHIPS act) by leveraging targeted public-private partnerships, milestone-based R&D funding, and interagency coordination. These mechanisms align well with President Trump’s broader industrial strategy, especially his second-term push to reassert American leadership in critical technologies. The development of deep-sea collection systems requires the same precision robotics, long-duration autonomy, and AI-driven sensor fusion technologies now prioritized in Trump’s Executive Orders on domestic energy dominance, which already task agencies like DOE, DARPA, and NSF with advancing advanced manufacturing and next-gen energy. The seafloor minerals sector presents an ideal testbed to apply those mandates, driving innovation while securing access to four of the most strategically important metals for both defense and clean tech. As the administration reforms permitting timelines, retools the Department of Energy’s innovation programs, and expands national security-driven procurement, now is the moment to integrate seafloor minerals into America’s critical mineral toolkit.

Despite the opportunities for seafloor minerals to bolster American environmental impacts through advancing clean energy, a wave of critique has arisen, largely arguing that using seafloor minerals will have negative environmental impacts. Claims that seafloor nodule collection could impede the ocean’s ability to store carbon dioxide continue to circulate, despite little evidence. Not to mention, experts say that this alarmism neglects the counterfactual that the amount of carbon dioxide released by seafloor mineral collection is “negligibly tiny” when compared with emissions of on-land mining activities.

Letting geopolitical rivals lead on nodule development or critical minerals more broadly is a strategic mistake both for U.S. supply chain and environmental policy. The short window of opportunity, particularly for the Trump administration, to shape the critical mineral industry for the better is a make-or-break moment in gaining the technological edge for the coming decades of American industry. The U.S. should take swift, targeted action by forging strategic alliances with allies like Japan and Australia to coordinate exploration, recognizing nodules as “domestic content” when first landed in the U.S., unlocking manufacturing incentives, and finally by expanding federal R&D and streamlining permitting.

The United States has a rare opportunity to secure not only the security of its supply chains but also the future of its clean energy industry by responsibly advancing seafloor mineral development. With strategic investment, smart regulation, and proactive utilization of the resources available to us, America can shape the rules of the game while securing access to the critical materials that power 21st-century technologies. 

Alina Voss is a fellow with ConservAmerica.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the Cascade Volcano Observatory reported Tuesday that an earthquake swarm has been detected beneath Mount Rainier in Washington State. While this marks the most significant seismic activity at the volcano since 2009, the USGS emphasized that there is no immediate cause for concern and the alert level remains at “Green/Normal.” 

The quake swarm of hundreds of very small earthquakes was recorded beneath Mount Rainier around 0130 local time on Tuesday. The largest quake so far was magnitude 1.6, occurring at a depth of 1–4 miles (2–6 km) below the summit.

Mount Rainier typically experiences about nine quakes per month, with swarms like this happening 1–2 times per year, though usually with fewer events. However, the USGS stated that this earthquake swarm was “the most significant seismicity at the volcano since 2009.” 

The alert level remains GREEN / NORMAL, and monitoring continues via the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network…

“Right now, this swarm is still within what we consider normal background levels of activity at Mount Rainier. Past swarms have been attributed to the circulation of fluids interacting with preexisting faults,” USGS said. 

Here’s more color on what quake swarms may indicate:

• Movement of magma or fluids: These swarms are often caused by magma rising, or hot fluids circulating underground, putting pressure on surrounding rocks and causing them to crack.
• Stress along faults: Sometimes swarms occur along faults or fractures, where stress builds up and is released in small bursts.
• Volcanic unrest (sometimes): While not always dangerous, swarms can be an early sign of volcanic unrest, especially if accompanied by other changes like ground deformation, gas emissions, or thermal anomalies.

All indications from the USGS suggest that this swarm event is “normal.” Certainly something for residents in the Pacific Northwest to keep an eye on.

Authored by Jason Strecker via The Brownstone Institute,

This was another week in what has become a regular occurrence: being contacted by concerned parents seeking advice on why their school is spiraling out of control, with their kid being caught up in the collateral damage. The feeling is akin to a song the 90s rock band Offspring composed but brought sharply into focus in 2025, The Kids Aren’t Alright, but neither are the parents and schools.

I want to offer my observations as someone who has been in the teaching trade for nearly two decades, and the strategies which are working.

“I Want to Kill Myself”

As dramatic as this sounds, many teenagers contemplate suicide, even if only for a fleeting moment, as they struggle to find their place in society. What is different now is the strength of emotion experienced by some, resulting in it being vocalized as a solution to difficulties felt in their well-being. Whilst this drastic expression is not widespread, it was virtually non-existent prior to 2020. 

In what is unlikely to be an isolated occurrence, A/Prof of Child & Adolescent psychiatry Peter Parry, in his evidence in the Terms of Reference to the Australian Government for a Covid-19 Royal Commission reported “five high school aged adolescents tragically losing their lives across South-East Qld in the final two weeks before the government announcement that the schools were going to reopen. I was on call over the middle weekend and aware that in perhaps three of these cases statements of suicidal ideation because they couldn’t see their friends.”

Kids Just Need to Get Over It and Build Some Resilience

I want to address a new strain of an existing challenge which has occurred – emotional regulation. Imagine a 15-year-old boy, full of energy and rapid physical development, and the challenges he has with impulse control at the best of times. Now imagine a 13-year-old brain in that body. What would be the expected result? I would suggest a lack of ability to emotionally self-regulate, a rise in recalcitrant behavior, often followed by an outburst of tears or overemotive responses. This is what is occurring, and at rates I haven’t seen before.  

According to the University of Oxford 2024 World Happiness Report, “For the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, happiness has decreased in all age groups, but especially for the young, so much so that the young are now, in 2021-2023, the least happy age group. This is a big change from 2006-2010, when the young were happier than those in the midlife groups, and about as happy as those aged 60 and over…and greater for females than males.” The kids are not alright and just saying they should “get over it” misconstrues the enormity of the challenge before us. 

Parental Priorities

Feedback and surveys have revealed a trend away from parents prioritizing academic success and towards child well-being. Whilst this is an admirable quality, in my opinion, it is somewhat misguided. I believe in naming the problem, recognizing it as a challenge, but not letting it become the determiner of someone’s life. Having said that, the children in our care are not ours. They have parents who have lovingly brought them into the world and are their advocates and responsibility.

The Teacher Tested My Child on Things They Haven’t Been Taught

I have heard this comment from many distressed parents who have contacted me across differing schools and regions, and it isn’t true. Parents, a word from the wise: if your child says this, be skeptical and contact the teacher. Ask with respect and you should get a respectful response. It may be that your child is the victim of the dreaded testing on topics not learnt, but they will be one of a tiny number. It is, however, emblematic of a cultural shift which has taken place, and our overly bureaucratic educational system has been unable to adjust to. It may be that your child has missed lessons in the leadup to a test and has lacked the proactive discipline to be responsible for catching up or there could be some other reason. Nevertheless, this complaint has increased in epidemic proportion since 2020, despite the increasing prevalence of online platforms that contain lesson content and notifications.

Turnover of Staff

Some schools have reported a 50% turnover in staff since 2021, with many experienced teachers leaving the profession altogether. Any business would face significant impact to their operations with this level of turnover, and it is likely that most schools face equivalent challenges. The events from 2020 have exacerbated this, but I don’t believe such a high rate of churn is inevitable.

What Has Been the Governmental Response?

The obvious course of action following a significant and sustained event like a lockdown would be to focus on minimizing change and maximizing opportunities for teachers to dedicate their time to any learning and developmental gaps created whilst providing a stable working environment. This, however, has not been the focus of many education departments, which have subsequently changed their syllabus or introduced philosophies of questionable value. In the absence of detailed Cost-Benefit Analyses, it is difficult to understand the justification of such decisions. 

One example of this is the California Mathematics Framework, which has devoted four of fourteen chapters to equity and related terms, justifying this with “Empowering students with tools to examine inequities and address important issues in their lives and communities. In this second aspect of teaching for social justice, teachers use mathematics to analyze and discuss issues of fairness and justice and to make mathematics relevant and engaging to students. In an elementary school classroom this might include students studying counting and comparing to understand fairness in the context of current and historical events.”

Frankly, in the current climate, I would settle for an 11-year-old knowing their times tables and a basic understanding of fractions. Why confuse kids with concepts they have not established the foundations for, and which will not help their technical knowledge of mathematics in successive years?

What Is Working?

A successful strategy that has yielded positive results has been deliberate and proactive communication with families. Our small department has contacted over 150 families since the beginning of the year. This communication has built relationships that have established trust and fostered a spirit of friendship and partnership. This has avoided claims of not being taught the right content and has encouraged students to buy into their learning. Traditionally, parents are apprehensive about receiving a call from their child’s teacher. There is a pause when the parent hears your voice, and you can almost hear their thoughts – “What has my child done? Is the teacher picking on my kid? Don’t they understand what is going on in our lives?” The change in tone, when they hear of something good which has been observed or that you are just asking for their expectations for their child, is usually profound. The low, pensive tone in their voice morphs into a high, upbeat melody. This often presents the opportunity to establish adult communication.

Many parents seek to shift responsibility to teachers, so don’t let them. Reaffirm their importance in the education process and in their child’s life through something positive observed, preferably relating to them. Perhaps, over time, you can have honest conversations as to the causes of the extra troubles you have noted. You may even help release them from the bonds of deep-seated guilt they may have been carrying around like the proverbial albatross.

In an industry that has had a history of contentious results from initiatives, the speed at which the difference our faculty initiatives have had has surprised me. We recently completed a round of the best-attended parent-teacher interviews in a long time, with parent engagement higher than ever. What was just as surprising, however, was not only the appreciation and honesty expressed by parents but the change in conversation. There was no antagonism, and each interview was constructive, open, and in a spirit of partnership for the benefit of their child. There are no guarantees, of course, but I am delighted at the parent and student engagement at the end of a term when all parties are tired and prone to unwise comments and actions. 

Early on in a role as a project manager in the IT industry, I sought advice from an older and wiser project director on what was the most important aspect of the job. He paused for thought and responded, “God made us with one mouth and two ears that we use them in that proportion.” If you are not hearing the types of comments outlined, may I suggest prioritizing listening. Have more conversations with parents and kids, and get to know them and the challenges they face better. You could be rewarded with a new level of intimate knowledge previously hidden. This will help you positively influence the reality of today’s culture.

The words attributed to Bonhoeffer offer us all a timely reminder: “The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.” My prayers are with you as you navigate the trials and challenges of this valuable journey.

The head of France’s foreign intelligence agency stated Tuesday that last month’s Israeli and American airstrikes on Iran had destroyed only part of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, though the reality is that the exact whereabouts of the remaining material are unknown.

Chief of the country’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) Nicolas Lerner said in a televised interview the strikes had merely delayed Iran’s nuclear program by several months.

“Our assessment today is that each of these stages has been very seriously affected, very seriously damaged,” he said. “The nuclear program, as we knew it, has been extremely delayed, probably many months,” he added.

While France has some indications of where Iran’s uranium might be, Lerner emphasized in the remarks that definitive confirmation would only be possible once the UN’s atomic watchdog resumes inspections in the country; however, the problem is that Tehran just formally booted IAEA inspectors from the country.

“Today we have indications (on where it is), but we cannot say with certainty as long as the IAEA does not restart its work. It’s very important. We won’t have the capacity to trace it (the stocks),” Lerner said.

Iranian officials have accused IAEA officials of actually spying on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program, secretly passing information on to Tel Aviv and Washington, which helped with targeting in the recent 12-day war.

Lerner’s assessment somewhat partially aligns with the view of US intelligence and the military, given that last week Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the strikes likely pushed Iran’s nuclear ambitions back by one to two years.

But the Trump admin has consistently claimed that Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan had been destroyed, amid conflicting reports and some international pushback on his assertions.

Other Western officials have indicated a setback of merely “months”. And even some US intelligence officials have been quoted in CNN and the NY Times giving a similar assessment.

American military officials in public statements have also been more cautious, over and against their Commander-in-Chief declaring on several occasions, including on the night of the B-2 bomber raids, that the sites were “completely destroyed” and that Iran’s nuclear program was “obliterated”.

Trump wants to proclaim a successful ceasefire in the wake of last month’s war between Israel and Tehran, and it has actually held, but could erupt again at any moment, for example given that:

Israel is preparing for the possibility of further military action if Iran tries to revive its nuclear program, and Israeli officials think President Trump could green light renewed Israeli attacks, two sources with knowledge tell Axios.

Iran leaves the door to negotiation open with the US.https://t.co/utzczzHVK3

— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) July 7, 2025

The report continues, “One scenario would be an Iranian attempt to remove the highly enriched uranium inside the damaged facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, according to the sources.”

There’s already long been ample speculation that these enriched uranium stockpiles were already moved, especially when Iran began coming under the surprise attack by Israeli warplanes on June 13. These stockpiles could also be buried deep underground, beyond the reach of even the most far-penetrating bunker bombs in America’s arsenal.

Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,

An appeals court has overturned the conviction against Douglas Mackey, who was charged with election interference under the Biden administration for posting a meme in 2016 about voting for then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton via text message.

Mackey had been operating the popular “Ricky Vaughn” Twitter account that had some 58,000 followers. He didn’t dispute that he posted memes, but has maintained that they were clearly satire. The U.S. government, for its part claimed that Mackey conspired with others to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote.

Vindicated pic.twitter.com/bnvYWK3Y4p

— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) July 9, 2025

The charges appeared constitutionally dubious at first glance, but that’s not why the U.S. Second Circuit Appeals Court overturned the conviction on Wednesday. Rather, the conviction didn’t stand because the Justice Department never proved that Mackey was part of a larger conspiracy, the Second Circuit ruled.

“The mere fact that Mackey posted the memes, even assuming that he did so with the intent to injure other citizens in the exercise of their right to vote, is not enough, standing alone, to prove a violation of Section 241. The government was obligated to show that Mackey knowingly entered into an agreement with other people to pursue that objective. This the government failed to do,” the appeals court ruled.

One of the government’s testifying witnesses was an FBI informant who still actively operates anonymous right-wing Twitter accounts. According to prosecutors, the informant operates accounts similar to the Ricky Vaughn account. They claimed that the two worked in tandem to spread “misinformation.”

The informant pled guilty to the same charge that Mackey was convicted for. His identity has been suppressed because he is allegedly still working with the FBI in respect to other Twitter users.

In any event, the Second Circuit ruled that Mackey and Microchip never actually conspired with each other.

“While Microchip testified at length regarding the conspiracy’s formation and operation, moreover, his testimony was of little probative value with respect to Mackey’s role. Microchip had never met Mackey—nor, so far as the record discloses, had any other member of the War Room or the other message groups,” the appeals court ruled.

“Microchip’s relationship with Mackey, such as it was, was exclusively online. As a result, only online interactions could prove that Mackey participated with Microchip in planning the conspiracy. And the record contains no evidence of such interactions.”

Mackey said Wednesday that he’s planning to sue the DOJ over what prosecutors put him through.

Now we sue

— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) July 9, 2025

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Did House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Photoshop his waist to appear slimmer? Social media critics think so. 

Jeffries, D-N.Y., became the target of viral mockery on Monday after critics pointed out what they viewed as botched photo editing on the top Democrat’s Instagram page. 

The photo, shared Sunday, shows Jeffries standing behind a park bench in Brooklyn. However, the straight lines of the bench’s wood near his waist appear noticeably warped. Critics said this means the image was digitally altered to trim his midsection. 

“Home sweet home,” Jeffries captioned the image, which remains posted and has racked up millions of views across social media. 

When reached by phone, Jeffries’s office referred Headline USA to his spokesperson Andy Eichar. He did not respond to an email request for comment.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (@repjeffries)

On X, critics piled on with mocking responses. 

“Hakeem Jeffries slimming himself in Photoshop is the most transparency we’ve seen from Democrats in years,” joked Republican communicator Erin Maguire. 

Journalist Eric Daugherty added, “Utter clown show. He thought no one would notice.” 

🚨 LMAO! Hakeem Jeffries tried to make a super relatable post on his Instagram, but he is so photoshopped everyone noticed the entire BENCH is WARPED

Utter clown show🤣🤣 he thought no one would notice pic.twitter.com/Uq6WON6RnX

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 7, 2025

Even Jeffries’s own Instagram comment section didn’t hold back.

As quoted by the New York Post, photographer Kiel Phillips wrote: You’ve got a terrible social media team, my man. Work on those editing skills.” 

“He photoshopped a damn bench. Why bro. Whyyyy?” Asked bodybuilder Phil Heath. 

Instagram user “kingsofscorpions” called Jeffries “SHEIN Obama,” comparing the Democrat to the fast-fashion retailer infamously known for cheap knockoffs of name-brand merchandise. 

New data from Momentum Commerce shows that Amazon’s decision to extend Prime Day from two to four days backfired—Day 1 sales plummeted, marking a grim start. Shoppers are filling their carts but holding off on purchases, hoping for deeper discounts. Meanwhile, spending trends are soft, reinforcing the cautious consumer outlook echoed by several research desks we track.

Bloomberg first cited new data from Momentum Commerce on Wednesday afternoon, which tracks 50 brands across various product categories and price points. The data showed that sales on the e-commerce platform plunged 41% on Tuesday compared to the first day of Prime Day 2024. The sluggish start raises concerns about Amazon’s decision to extend the mega discount event.

Momentum CEO John Shea commented on Amazon’s big gamble, noting that the extended sale has given consumers more opportunity to browse and “treasure hunt.” He added that a shorter Prime Day typically drives higher sales due to a greater sense of urgency. 

Data from research firm Numerator reveals that the average household is spending less on Prime Day this year—$106 compared to $110 at the start of last year’s event. The average item price is also down, at $25.46, compared to $28 a year ago.

Prime Day tends to be a high-frequency snapshot of midsummer consumer sentiment, and it may signal deeper caution for the economy. Momentum Commerce data for the first four hours of Prime Day also showed weak consumption trends.

• Amazon Prime Day Kicks Off With Disappointing Early Sales

Despite the gloom, research firm Adobe estimates shoppers across all retailers on Tuesday spent 9.9% more than on the same day one year ago. Prime Day also overlaps with sales from Walmart and Target. 

Update(1505ET): Things have gone from bad to worse regarding the situation of the Greek-owned cargo ship Eternity C, which was sunk in a deadly Houthi raid. The missing mariners aboard the ship are now confirmed kidnapped, after at least four were killed.

The US embassy accused Yemen’s Iran-backed militants Wednesday of kidnapping crew members from the Eternity C in the Red Sea earlier this week – an attack which was carefully documented and filmed for the world to see by the attackers (see below).

“After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts, the Huthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C. We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release,” the embassy said in a statement on X.

Below is more from the Houthi statement, claiming the captive and surviving crew members are ‘safe’… will President Trump get involved? It appears at least 15 have been taken.

The Houthis claim responsibility for the attack against the Eternity C. They appear to have taken some crew members to a “safe place” (hostages?) pic.twitter.com/FYlSg5nfTm

— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) July 9, 2025

* * *

Update (1252ET): One of the two commercial ships attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels—the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned cargo ship Eternity C—has sunk, resulting in the deaths of at least four crew members, with 15 still missing. The other ship, Magic Seas, was also attacked and sank earlier this week (crew rescued). 

Here’s more from Reuters:

Rescuers pulled six crew members alive from the Red Sea on Wednesday and 15 were still missing from the second of two ships sunk in recent days in attacks claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia after months of calm.

Four of the 25 people aboard the Eternity C cargo ship were killed before the rest of the crew abandoned the vessel, which sank on Wednesday morning after being attacked on Monday and Tuesday, sources at security companies involved in a rescue operation said.

Since late 2023, more than 100 ships in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb/Southern Red Sea corridor have been targeted by Houthi rebels using drones and missiles.

These attacks are expected to continue until a ceasefire is reached in the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been in Washington, D.C., meeting with President Trump to discuss a potential ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The deal would allow Netanyahu to secure the release of 50 Israeli hostages. The attacks on Eternity C and Magic Seas mark the first Houthi strikes in the critical maritime chokepoint since President Trump announced a truce with the rebels in May.

*     *     *

Iranian-backed Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb/Southern Red Sea corridor have intensified following U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, ordered by President Trump. This marks a significant escalation of asymmetric Iranian-proxy operations aimed at choking the critical maritime chokepoint. 

Last weekend, rebel forces attacked the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned cargo ship Eternity C, resulting in the deaths of at least three mariners and injuries to several others. The ship lost propulsion and is now adrift with the crew still on board.

Between Sunday and Monday, the Houthis launched another assault on the bulk carrier Magic Seas using small boats and bomb-laden drones.

Rebels later released video footage showing their fighters boarding the vessel, strategically placing explosives throughout the ship. The detonation ultimately led to the vessel’s sinking, marking one of the most brazen and well-documented Houthi maritime attacks to date. 

pic.twitter.com/pRWMiOqnUq

— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) July 8, 2025

The maritime attacks in the Southern Red Sea resulted in the “tragic loss of three mariners, with many others injured and the complete loss of the MV Magic Seas and its cargo,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement, adding the Trump administration “will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping.” 

The release of high-impact footage on social media—such as shipboard assaults and vessel sinkings—indicates the Houthis are showcasing their operational capabilities across the Red Sea chokepoint. This video serves a dual purpose: reinforcing their psychological warfare campaign and delivering a clear propaganda message aimed at Western governments and global shipping interests.

Regional Maritime Chokepoints 

Further Houthi maritime activity is likely this week, particularly targeting Western-aligned vessels. We anticipate potential vessel diversions while also tracking ongoing risks in the Strait of Hormuz.