Category: Defenses

Satellite Images Reveal U.S. Military Deployments Near Iran
Satellite imagery captured on Jan. 25 shows at least a dozen F-15E attack planes at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. (Planet Labs)
In the shimmering haze of the Arabian Sea, where oil tankers carve silent paths through contested waters, a new specter looms: the unmistakable silhouette of American military might. Fresh satellite imagery, obtained from commercial providers like Planet Labs and corroborated by open-source tracking data, paints a chilling picture of Washington’s accelerating deployments encircling Iran. Dozens of fighter jets—F-15Es, A-10 Thunderbolts, and stealthy F-35s—now crowd airbases in Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, flanked by guided-missile destroyers bristling with Tomahawks, prowls the North Arabian Sea. At least a dozen warships, including electronic warfare vessels like EA-18G Growlers, have converged on the region since mid-January, transforming the Middle East into a powder keg primed for ignition.
This buildup, far exceeding the targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last summer, reeks of neoconservative adventurism—a reckless echo of the Iraq War playbook that could drag the U.S. into another endless quagmire. Analysts warn it’s not just about deterrence; it’s a stage set for “expansive operations,” potentially aimed at regime change in Tehran. Yet, as President Donald Trump rattles sabers on Truth Social, threatening “speed and violence” akin to his Venezuelan escapade, the real beneficiaries appear to be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s faltering coalition and the hawkish lobbies in Washington. Anti-war voices decry this as a manufactured crisis, one that prioritizes Zionist agendas over global stability, risking a regional inferno that could engulf U.S. allies and embolden adversaries like China and Russia.
Our investigation—drawing on exclusive imagery from MizarVision, flight-tracking platforms like ADS-B Exchange, and declassified U.S. defense briefings—uncovers a deployment surge that defies Trump’s “America First” rhetoric. With Iran’s Supreme Leader issuing dire warnings of “immediate, comprehensive” retaliation, and Chinese experts mocking Washington’s inability to replicate its “Venezuela model,” the question isn’t if escalation happens—but who pays the price for this anti-diplomatic folly.

The Satellite Snapshot: A Ring of Steel Tightens
The evidence is irrefutable, captured in high-resolution pixels from above. Planet Labs imagery dated January 25 reveals a dramatic uptick at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base—the Pentagon’s largest Middle East outpost. KC-135 refueling tankers, once sparse, now dominate the aprons, their numbers doubled since mid-January. Nearby, newly installed Patriot missile batteries—identified by their distinctive radar arrays—stand sentinel, a defensive bulwark against Iran’s vaunted ballistic arsenal. “This isn’t routine rotation,” Dana Stroul, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, told The Washington Post. “They’re setting the theater for expanded offensive options.”
Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base tells a similar tale. January 25 shots show over a dozen F-15E Strike Eagles—veterans of last summer’s nuclear raids—parked alongside nine A-10 Thunderbolts, ground-attack workhorses for close air support. MQ-9 Reaper drones and HC-130J rescue planes have joined them, hinting at preparations for contested extractions deep in enemy territory. “Search-and-rescue assets like these scream high-risk ops,” Gregory Brew, a senior Iran analyst at Eurasia Group, noted in the Post. “If you’re planning to penetrate Iranian airspace, you need retrieval plans for downed pilots.”
Naval forces amplify the threat. The Abraham Lincoln, redirected from the South China Sea in late January, now anchors the North Arabian Sea with three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers—USS McFaul, USS Mitscher, and others—each laden with air defenses and cruise missiles. Satellite views from January 26 confirm at least eight more warships in the Gulf, including the USS Delbert D. Black in the Red Sea and USS Bulkeley in the eastern Mediterranean. “This armada isn’t for show,” Brew added. “Growlers jam radars; F-35s punch holes in defenses. It’s geared for interior strikes, not just coastal deterrence.”

Satellite imagery captured on Jan. 25 shows at least a dozen F-15E fighter jets and nine A-10C Thunderbolt II, according to Sean O’Connor an imagery analyst with Janes who reviewed the imagery at The Post’s request.
Chinese outlet Global Times, citing MizarVision imagery, echoes the alarm: January 26 shots of Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem base show fresh Patriot deployments, while Bahrain’s Naval Support Activity hosts littoral combat ships. “US forces have stepped up movements… for both attack and defense,” the report states, warning of a “rising probability” of limited strikes. ABC News, analyzing Planet Labs data from January 17 to February 2, highlights Patriot interceptors at Al Udeid—absent weeks prior—bolstering defenses against Iran’s Khorramshahr-4 missiles.

Satellite imagery captured on Feb.2 shows at least one MQ-9 Reaper drone and several multiple-utility helicopters.
Iran counters asymmetrically: Flight data shows drones swarming the Strait of Hormuz, with the Shahid Bagheri drone carrier spotted January 26. “Unsafe behavior risks escalation,” CENTCOM warned Friday.

An Iranian drone carrier loiters in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. (Planet Labs)
Neocon Fingerprints: From Iraq to Iran, the Same Playbook
This surge isn’t born in a vacuum—it’s the toxic fruit of neoconservative ideology, long criticized for fabricating pretexts for endless wars. Trump’s January 28 Truth Social post—”Abraham Lincoln heading to Iran… far worse than last summer”—evokes the 2003 WMD lies that birthed the Iraq quagmire, costing trillions and millions of lives. Critics see Netanyahu’s shadow: Facing corruption trials and coalition fractures, the Israeli PM has lobbied Washington for strikes to divert domestic ire from Gaza’s fallout.
“Neocons like Bolton and Pompeo—Trump’s ghosts—push this as ‘regime change lite,’” says Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute, an anti-war think tank. “But it’s a trap: Venezuela’s Maduro raid was a farce; Iran’s hardened bunkers demand boots on ground Trump won’t commit.” Chinese expert Sun Degang, via Global Times: “Difficult to replicate ‘Venezuela model’—Iran’s structure isn’t one-man rule. Strikes weaken, but don’t topple.”
Liu Zhongmin of Shanghai International Studies University: “U.S. retrenchment strategy contradicts entanglement. No ground forces? No regime change.” Anti-war activists decry the hypocrisy: While Trump sanctions Rosneft and Lukoil to squeeze Moscow’s oil lifeline, he’s inflating a Gulf bubble that benefits Israeli hawks. “Netanyahu’s lifeline—U.S. muscle—prolongs Palestinian suffering,” Parsi adds. “This buildup isn’t deterrence; it’s provocation.”
Iran’s retort: Ali Shamkhani, Khamenei’s advisor, vowed January 28: “Any action… beginning of war. Response immediate, targeting aggressor, Tel Aviv, supporters.” FM Abbas Araghchi: “Ready for negotiations… or war.” Protests in Tehran—6,000 dead in crackdowns, per rights groups—fuel regime paranoia, but strikes risk unifying Iranians against “Zionist-American aggression.”
The Human Cost: Echoes of Past Fiascos
Last summer’s nuclear hits—B-2 bombers from Diego Garcia—crippled Iran’s program but sparked 12-day clashes with Israel. Now, imagery shows no B-2s at Diego (January 17-26: Just C-17s), but experts like Zhang Junshe warn: “Strategic bombers signal intent. Absent them, it’s bluff—or prelude.” The War Zone: “No mass tactical airpower influx—suggests limited op, unless Israel joins.”
Yet escalation’s shadow: Iran’s missiles—intact post-2025—target U.S. bases within 700km. Fabian Hinz of IISS: “Arsenal designed for Israel/U.S. sites—still potent.” Anti-war lens: This risks “total eradication of Western civilization,” per Parsi—burning flags in “pro-Palestine” protests, not Israeli streets.
Trump’s “armada” rhetoric—likening to Venezuela’s failed raid—ignores geography: Iran’s resilience, 4,000km from Diego, defies quick wins. “Neocons dream of decapitation,” says Liu. “But chaos ensues—uncontrolled outcome Washington dreads.”
A Call for Sanity: Diplomacy Over Drums of War
As satellites unmask this buildup, the anti-war imperative screams: Reject neocon siren songs propping Netanyahu’s regime. Trump’s sanctions—effective against Maduro—falter against Iran’s clerical fortress. “Negotiations progressing,” per Ali Larijani January 28. Embrace dialogue, not drones.
The Gulf’s fragile peace hangs by a thread—severed by hawks, it unleashes hell. America First? Start by bringing troops home.
February 3, 2026
Kash Patel Slams FBI Use of Anti-Trump Sedition Hunters as Paid J6 Informants
he Biden-era FBI made more than $100,000 in payments to informants who were members of an anonymous group of tech sleuths known as the “Sedition Hunters” to gather and analyze video evidence in the January 6 Capitol riot — echoing the bureau’s reliance on paid FBI informant and British ex-spy Christopher Steele in 2016.
Just the News reported this week that the FBI made payments to a number of so-called “sedition hunters” as confidential human sources (CHS) as part of the January 6 Capitol riot and Arctic Frost probes despite the online network’s significant anti-Trump pronouncements and known ties to foreigners.
The payments are due to be disclosed by FBI Director Kash Patel to Congress along with acknowledged concerns that the Christopher Wray-run bureau’s approval of certain members of the Sedition Hunters as confidential human sources may have violated bureau policies concerning informant bias, informant secrecy, foreign influence, and contracting transparency, officials said.
Reminiscent of the ill-fated “Crossfire Hurricane” lawfare campaign
The revelations of source payments are certain to revive FBI concerns among Republicans that date back to the now-discredited Crossfire Hurricane probe, where agents used Steele as a CHS to pursue unsubstantiated allegations of Trump colluding with Russia. This was despite Steele’s foreign connections, his clear anti-Trump bias, and his work as a contractor for the campaign law firm of Trump’s main 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton. Wray had promised significant reforms in the wake of the 2016 debacle at the bureau.
Steele was eventually terminated in November 2016 as an FBI informant for violating his confidentiality requirements as a confidential human source, disclosing his role with the bureau, and making unauthorized disclosures to the media.
Government officials said a half decade later, the bureau may have entered into another troubling relationship by treating members of the Sedition Hunters as informants in a new Trump probe when, in fact, they were essentially performing computer analysis contract work identifying January 6 defendants around the Capitol and clearly expressed dislike for Trump.
FBI burned by decision to deploy the Steele Dossier against Trump
DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz uncovered huge flaws with the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation in a December 2019 report, finding at least 17 “significant errors and omissions” related to the FISA warrants targeting former Trump campaign associate Carter Page. Horowitz also criticized the “central and essential” role of Steele’s debunked dossier in the FBI’s politicized FISA surveillance. Steele, a years-long FBI CHS, had been hired by the opposition research firm Fusion GPS, which was being paid by Clinton campaign lawyer Marc Elias. Elias was later fined for “misleading” filings to the court in his advocacy for Democratic Party candidates.
The DOJ watchdog also said Steele’s alleged main source — Russian national Igor Danchenko — “contradicted the allegations of a ‘well-developed conspiracy’ in” Steele’s dossier. Danchenko was made an FBI CHS for years after 2016, up until his indictment by now-former special counsel John Durham.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Horowitz’s report noted that Steele’s FBI interview “highlighted discrepancies between Steele’s presentation of information in the election reporting and the views of his Primary Sub-source” — Danchenko — and “revealed bias against Trump.”
Stefan Halper was a Pentagon consultant and academic, and he, along with Steele, was used as a CHS by bureau agents to build the politicized Crossfire Hurricane case against Trump and his advisers during the end of the 2016 election and the beginning of Trump’s first term in office.
Wray repeatedly promised serious CHS reform inside the bureau
Horowitz wrote in a November 2019 report that “the FBI’s vetting process for CHSs, known as validation, did not comply with the Attorney General Guidelines.”
“We also found deficiencies in the FBl’s long-term CHS validation reports which are relied upon by FBI and Department of Justice officials in determining the continued use of a CHS,” the DOJ watchdog said. “Further, the FBI inadequately staffed and trained personnel conducting long-term validations and lacked an automated process to monitor its long-term CHSs.”
Wray quickly spoke with the press after the release of the December 2019 report, with the Associated Press writing that “Wray said the FBI would make changes to how it handles confidential informants.”
He also sent a letter to Horowitz that month where he assured the DOJ inspector general that the FBI was fixing its CHS process.
“We are making significant changes to how the FBI manages its Confidential Human Source Program. Many FBI investigations rely on human sources, but the investigative value derived from CHS-provided information rests in part on the CHS’s credibility, which demands rigorous assessment of the source,” the now-former FBI chief wrote. “The modifications we are making to how the FBI collects, documents, and shares information about CHSs will strengthen our assessment of the information these sources are providing.”
Wray also sent a letter to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in January 2020, where he laid out further plans to reform the bureau’s handling of informants.
The now-former FBI director said that one “FISA-related Corrective Action I have directed will require that all information known at the time of a FISA request and bearing on the reliability of a CHS whose information is used to support the FISA application is captured as part of the FISA Request Form and verified by the CHS handler.”
Wray said that “in coordination with the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence, the working group is developing a new CHS Questionnaire, which will be used as an addendum to the FISA Request Form, identifying the categories of source information (e.g., payment information, criminal history) that [the Office of Intelligence] should be informed of when preparing FISA applications that rely on CHS reporting. Completion of this Corrective Action will require consultation with external partners, finalization of the CHS Questionnaire, and the training of FBI personnel.”
Wray also insisted to the Senate in March 2021 that the FBI was fixing its CHS process.
“We accepted all of the findings and recommendations in the Inspector General’s report. I ordered, at the time, over 40 corrective actions to go above and beyond the recommendations of the inspector general’s report, and those have been implemented,” he said. “Those include everything from strengthening our procedures to ensure accuracy and completeness, to make sure the court gets all the information it’s supposed to, changes in our protocols for CHS, confidential human sources, training changes.”
Steele and Danchenko exemplified the politicized nature of FBI’s lawfare
The FBI used Steele’s discredited dossier to obtain four Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants and renewals targeting Trump campaign associate Carter Page, and fired FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe pushed to include the dossier’s baseless collusion allegations in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian election meddling in the 2016 election.
During all this, the FBI concealed the extent of Steele’s anti-Trump biases from the FISA Court. Just the News revealed last year that a declassified House Intelligence report showed the Steele Dossier was directly cited in the highly classified version of the ICA on Russian meddling.
Horowitz wrote in 2019 that “the FBI was aware of the potential for political bias in the Steele election reporting from the outset of obtaining it.”

Ex-DOJ official Bruce Ohr, who served as a conduit between Steele and the FBI even after the former MI6 agent was cut off as a confidential human source, told the bureau by late November 2016 that Steele was “desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being the U.S. president.” The DOJ watchdog noted that during a 2017 interview with the FBI, Steele described Trump as his “main opponent” and that an FBI analyst said this was “clear bias.”
FBI analyst Brian Auten, who interviewed Steele’s alleged main source, Russian lawyer Igor Danchenko, in early 2017 and was there when the Justice Department set up a partial immunity agreement with Danchenko, was among the FBI employees who interviewed Steele in Rome in early October 2016 as the FBI sought more details on the dossier. Auten revealed in court that the FBI had offered Steele an incentive of up to $1 million if he could prove the allegations of collusion in his dossier and if the evidence led to prosecutions, but Auten said the former MI6 agent was unable to corroborate any of his dossier claims.
FBI notes of a January 2017 interview with Danchenko showed he told the bureau he “did not know the origins” of some Steele claims and “did not recall” other dossier information. Nevertheless, Danchenko was put on the FBI’s payroll as a confidential human source from March 2017 to October 2020 before he was charged in November 2021 with five counts of making false statements to the bureau. The FBI agent assigned to be the handler for Danchenko testified that he sought to have the bureau pay Danchenko more than $500,000.
Danchenko was found not guilty at trial.
FBI failed to scrutinize Steele until after dossier deployed
Just the News also revealed in 2025 that declassified records released last year also included a “Human Source Validation Report” (HSVR) by the FBI’s Validation Management Unit (VMU) related to Steele.
The VMU assessed in 2017 that the bureau had only “medium confidence” that Steele had contributed to the FBI’s criminal program, in part because “Steele’s reporting has been minimally corroborated.” The unit said that, despite Steele working for the bureau for years, including on the high-profile Trump-Russia collusion investigation, “this is the first HSVR completed on Steele.”
The FBI unit said that, in addition to baseless collusion claims, Steele had provided the bureau with information on a bribery scandal related to FIFA and Russia, a cyberattack from China, and “Weapons of Mass Destruction issues.”
The VMU also claimed that “during Steele’s operation, VMU found no issues regarding his or her reliability” and that “VMU did not locate any information to suggest Steele fabricated information during the operation.”
Yet declassified footnotes from Horowitz’s report showed that “a 2015 report concerning oligarchs written by the FBI’s Transnational Organized Crime Intelligence Unit (TOCIU) noted that from January through May 2015, ten Eurasian oligarchs sought meetings with the FBI, and five of these had their intermediaries contact Steele.” The TOCIU report “noted that Steele’s contact with five Russian oligarchs in a short period of time was unusual and recommended that a validation review be completed on Steele because of this activity,” Horowitz said.
According to Horowitz, the FBI’s Validation Management Unit “did not perform such an assessment on Steele until early 2017” — well after the bureau had deployed the dossier in the FISA court and in the 2017 intelligence community assessment on alleged Russian meddling in the election.

The Horowitz report’s declassified footnotes also said that some of the Steele dossier’s claims about now-former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen were “part of a Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate U.S. foreign relations.” The footnote also added that a U.S. intelligence community report concluded that the Steele dossier’s baseless and salacious claims about Trump at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow were the result of Russian intelligence who “infiltrate[d] a source into the network” managed by Steele.
Steele and his company, Orbis Business Intelligence, worked for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in 2016, allegedly helping recover millions of dollars the Russian oligarch claimed Paul Manafort had stolen from him. Steele sought help in this anti-Trump research effort from Fusion GPS, the founders of the company wrote, and Fusion GPS hired Steele soon after.
The Senate Intelligence Committee’s 2020 report assessed that “the Russian government coordinates with and directs Deripaska on many of his influence operations.” The report found “multiple links between Steele and Deripaska” and “indications that Deripaska had early knowledge of Steele’s work” and said Steele’s relationship with Deripaska “provid[ed] a potential direct channel for Russian influence on the dossier.”
Being an FBI informant was lucrative for Russiagate figure Stefan Halper
Just the News also reported last year that declassified documents show that Stefan Halper, a key FBI informant in the widely-debunked Russia collusion case, was paid nearly $1.2 million over three decades and was motivated in part by “monetary compensation” — and that he continued snitching for the bureau even after agents concluded he told them an inaccurate story about future Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.
FBI agents ultimately deemed Halper’s accounts to be “not plausible” and “not accurate”, but the bureau proceeded to investigate Flynn, kept paying Halper and continued to vouch for his veracity as a confidential human source codenamed “Mitch,” the memos show. A March 2017 memo showed the FBI’s Validation Management Unit (VMU) wrote that it “assesses it is likely HALPER is suitable for continued operation, based on his or her authenticity, reliability, and control.”
The VMU’s review from May 2013 to March 2017 recommended that the FBI continue using Halper as a source despite FBI agents working the Flynn case determining that he had provided them incorrect information. Nonetheless, the bureau unit also contended that “during the period of review, VMU found no derogatory issues regarding MITCH’s reliability” despite later admitting that “VMU notes there is no corroboration concerning MITCH’s reporting. Due to the singular nature of his or her access, VMU was unable to locate corroboration concerning MITCH’s reporting.”
That memo made no mention in its unredacted portions of the concerns about the account Halper gave about Flynn and Lokhova, which were confirmed in a memo from William Barnett, the FBI agent who handled the retired Flynn’s case in 2016 and 2017.
Patel: “A stunning abuse of bureau authorities”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has continued to push for more answers related to the presence of FBI confidential informants during the Capitol riot.
It is likely that the revelations by Just the News related to the FBI’s use of paid “Sedition Hunter” informants to provide assistance in identifying January 6-related suspects will lead to further scrutiny of the bureau’s CHS program.
“The American people deserve the truth about how the FBI was weaponized against them. Paying openly anti-Trump activists to identify Americans using questionable technology is a stunning abuse of bureau authorities and a clear violation of longstanding informant rules,” Patel said in a statement to Just the News on Tuesday.
“Under my leadership, the FBI will fully disclose these actions to Congress and ensure the bureau never again serves partisan or political ends instead of the Constitution,” the FBI chief added.
January 24, 2026
Laura Loomer Granted Official Press Access to the Pentagon
In a move that lays bare the Trump administration’s assault on independent journalism and national security norms, far-right provocateur Laura Loomer—known for her inflammatory rants, conspiracy-mongering, and self-proclaimed “Loomering” of disloyal officials—has been handed official press credentials to cover the Pentagon. The 32-year-old activist, who once handcuffed herself to Twitter’s doors in protest of her ban and has repeatedly branded immigrants as “invaders,” now joins a motley crew of right-wing echo-chamber outlets in the Defense Department‘s newly revamped press corps—a direct result of a draconian policy that drove mainstream media out en masse last month.
This credentialing isn’t just a badge; it’s a license for chaos. Loomer, a failed congressional candidate in Florida and Trump’s unofficial whisperer-in-chief, has already used her Oval Office access to fuel a purge of perceived “disloyal” defense leaders, from NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s appointees. Her presence in the Pentagon briefing room signals the deepening fusion of White House vendettas and military oversight, raising alarms among Democrats, press freedom advocates, and even some within the administration who view her as a loose cannon threatening U.S. readiness. “This isn’t journalism—it’s infiltration,” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a former Intelligence Committee chair. “Loomer’s track record of harassment and disinformation makes her a national security risk in a secure facility.”
A Policy Born of Paranoia: Mainstream Media Ejected, MAGA Media Installed
The backdrop is as Orwellian as it gets. In October, the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—Trump’s Fox News alum pick—unveiled a policy barring reporters from seeking information outside official channels, effectively muzzling independent inquiry. Outraged, dozens of outlets—including The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, and even Fox News—staged a walkout, refusing to sign what they decried as a “threat to press freedom.” Only One America News (OAN), the pro-Trump cable network notorious for election lies, inked the deal initially.
Enter the new corps: A roster dominated by far-right darlings like The Gateway Pundit (debunked for Sandy Hook hoaxes), The Post Millennial (a Daily Wire offshoot peddling anti-LGBTQ+ screeds), LindellTV (MyPillow mogul Mike Lindell’s election-denial streaming service), and now Loomer herself. These aren’t seasoned Pentagon beat reporters; they’re online influencers with audiences built on outrage, not oversight. The policy, critics argue, is a deliberate purge to install a compliant cadre that amplifies Trump’s narrative while silencing scrutiny of military missteps—from unchecked defense spending to Hegseth’s Qatar deals.
Loomer announced her credentialing triumph on X (formerly Twitter), where she boasts 1.2 million followers, framing it as vindication against “Big Media elites.” But her glee masks a darker reality: She’s signing onto a gag order that prohibits basic journalism, all while flaunting her role in ousting officials she deems insufficiently MAGA. In an August X post viewed over 2 million times, Loomer railed against Hegseth’s plan to host Qatari air force training at an Idaho base, calling it a gift to “terror financing Muslims” and vowing to sit out midterms in protest. Such outbursts have Pentagon staffers scrambling, sources say, fearing her next viral broadside could trigger another firing spree.
Loomer’s influence isn’t hype—it’s havoc. Since Trump’s inauguration, her Oval Office sit-downs have correlated with a revolving door of dismissals, which she gleefully brands “Loomered.” In April, she targeted NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh and deputy Wendy Noble as “disloyal,” tweeting: “That is why they have been fired.” Haugh was ousted days later, replaced by a Trump loyalist. She claimed credit for national security adviser Michael Waltz’s April firing and staff purge, tying it to her “report” on their inadequacies—Waltz later landed as U.N. ambassador, a cushy consolation.
Her Pentagon hit list is bipartisan in bigotry. In April, Loomer savaged Col. Earl G. Matthews—nominated for general counsel—for allegedly “subverting” Hegseth, echoing her anti-“deep state” crusade. More egregiously, in August, she attacked Army Secretary Dan Driscoll for honoring Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg—a French-born immigrant who lost a leg shielding soldiers from a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Why? Groberg’s 60-second DNC speech on “service and sacrifice.” Loomer dubbed him an “anti-Trump leftist.” Groberg, undeterred, responded: “I’ve served under presidents from both parties and will always honor my oath to this country.” Driscoll swiftly revoked Jen Easterly’s West Point faculty appointment after Loomer’s pile-on—Easterly, Biden’s CISA director, was targeted for her cybersecurity work exposing foreign election meddling.
These aren’t isolated; they’re a pattern. Loomer, who styles herself an “investigative journalist, activist, and truth-teller” via her Loomered website and opposition research firm, has a history of stunts: Banned from Uber/Lyft for anti-Muslim tirades, booted from CPAC for disrupting speeches, and deplatformed across social media for hate speech. Yet Trump calls her “a very nice person… a patriot,” crediting her “excitement” for the country. Her rare Trump critiques—like his Qatari jet “gift from jihadists”—end in apologies, underscoring her as a one-woman loyalty litmus test.
Broader Peril: Press Freedom Under Siege, National Security in Jeopardy
Loomer’s Pentagon perch exacerbates a chilling trend: The Trump White House’s war on the fourth estate. Her stalled White House credentials—despite smaller right-wing influencers gaining access—highlight selective favoritism. The new policy, which Loomer eagerly embraces, ensures coverage that’s less watchdog, more water carrier—ideal for burying scandals like Hegseth’s Qatar ties or the administration’s military purges.
Democrats and watchdogs are mobilizing. The ACLU warned of “Orwellian control,” while Rep. Schiff demanded hearings: “Loomer in the briefing room is a fox guarding the henhouse.” As one anonymous Pentagon official told The Hill, her access “frustrates” staff, who dread her next “Loomering” tweet sparking chaos.
In an era of rising authoritarianism, Loomer’s elevation isn’t quirky—it’s a symptom. Trump’s “truth-teller” is peddling division in the halls of power, where decisions affect global stability. If unchecked, this could erode the Pentagon’s integrity from within, turning defense briefings into MAGA rallies. America deserves better: A free press, not a far-right filter.
November 4, 2025
Former Trump Adviser John Bolton Indicted for Mishandling Classified Documents
John Bolton, the hawkish former national security adviser whose betrayal of President Donald Trump fueled one of the most damaging tell-all exposés in modern political history, pleaded not guilty Friday to 18 felony charges under the Espionage Act for the reckless transmission and retention of top-secret documents. The 76-year-old Bolton, whose infamous mustache has long symbolized interventionist folly abroad, now stands accused of endangering American lives by sharing over 1,000 pages of classified “diary-like entries” with family members lacking clearances—material so sensitive it detailed foreign missile threats, covert U.S. operations, and intelligence sources that could have been catnip for adversaries like Iran. In a swift courtroom appearance before Chief Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan in Greenbelt, Maryland, Bolton entered his plea through attorney Abbe Lowell, who decried the case as recycled “diaries” from a storied career—not crimes, but cherished records shared only with loved ones.
From a conservative lens, this isn’t the weaponization of justice; it’s the long-delayed reckoning for a self-serving bureaucrat who prioritized book royalties and personal grudges over national security oaths. Bolton’s indictment—the third in as many weeks against Trump’s most vocal critics—signals the dawn of a DOJ unafraid to apply the law equally, a stark contrast to the selective blindness that plagued the Biden years. As FBI Director Kash Patel thundered on X, “Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.” With Attorney General Pam Bondi affirming “one tier of justice for all Americans,” the message is clear: No more free passes for deep-state leakers who undermine the America First agenda.
The 26-page federal indictment, unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, lays bare a pattern of abuse from April 2018—mere weeks after Bolton assumed the national security role—to at least August 2025, long after his acrimonious 2019 firing. Prosecutors allege Bolton, despite access to a home Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) for secure handling, routinely fired off “diary-like entries” via unclassified personal channels—AOL, Gmail, and messaging apps—to two relatives (identified by MSNBC as his wife and daughter), neither cleared for such intel.
These weren’t innocuous jottings; they brimmed with TOP SECRET/SCI details that could shatter alliances and embolden foes. One entry revealed “intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future; a covert action in a foreign country… sensitive sources and methods used to collect human intelligence.” Another exposed “sources and collection used to obtain statements of a foreign adversary; covert action conducted by the U.S. Government.” Eight counts target unlawful transmission of national defense information; 10 more his retention of such materials in his Bethesda home, where FBI agents recovered classified docs during an August 22 raid—including references to weapons of mass destruction.
The plot thickens with a 2021 Iranian-linked hack of Bolton’s personal email, which prosecutors say snared the classified cache he’d carelessly stored there. A blackmail email taunted: “This could be the biggest scandal since Hillary’s emails were leaked, but this time on the G.O.P. side!”—yet Bolton’s team notified the FBI of the breach without flagging the sensitive contents, per the filing. Each count carries up to 10 years in prison, though guidelines might temper sentences; conviction, however, could revoke Bolton’s security clearance and exile him from policy circles forever.
gov.uscourts.mdd.592875.1.0_3 Download
Lowell, in a fiery AP statement, insisted the materials were “unclassified” career mementos known to the FBI since 2021, probed and cleared under Biden—no charges then, only now under Trump’s “retribution.” Bolton himself invoked Stalin’s secret police in his retort: “You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime,” framing the case as payback for his 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened, which Trump tried (and failed) to block over similar clearance lapses. “Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system,” Bolton proclaimed, vowing to “expose his abuse of power.” Conservatives scoff: This is no Stalin; it’s statute enforcement. Bolton’s book, after all, was ruled “likely” criminal by a Reagan-appointed judge in 2020 for evading pre-publication review—yet the Biden DOJ let it slide.
Bolton’s White House tenure was a whirlwind of clashes: Appointed in 2018 for his Iran hawkishness, he clashed with Trump over Ukraine aid and Taliban negotiations, earning a September 2019 boot. “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions,” Trump tweeted then. Bolton’s revenge? A memoir that turbocharged Trump’s first impeachment, portraying the president as erratic and himself as the unsung hero—leaks that conservatives still view as the blueprint for the deep state’s sabotage playbook.
The probe predates Trump’s return, gaining steam under Biden with a 2021 FBI review that fizzled by 2022 amid political optics. But August’s dual raids on Bolton’s home and D.C. office unearthed the diaries, prompting the Maryland grand jury’s swift action. Trump, ambushed by reporters Thursday, feigned surprise: “You’re telling me for the first time, but I think he’s a bad person… a bad guy. It’s too bad. But that’s the way it goes.” On X, glee erupted: “Don’t drop the soap,” quipped one user, while podcasters hailed it as “Insurrection Act ONE DAY CLOSER!” PBS noted Bolton’s silent courthouse march, but the right sees silence as guilt.
The 20-minute arraignment drew no detention; Bolton walked free, his case assigned to Obama appointee Judge Theodore Chuang for a jury trial. Motions challenging “vindictiveness” are inevitable, but as one X post crowed, “Indict, try, convict, go to DC Gulag.”
This is no coincidence—it’s culmination. Weeks ago, Virginia grand juries indicted ex-FBI Director James Comey on false statements and obstruction for lying about leaks in 2020 testimony, his January trial looming like a storm cloud. New York AG Letitia James faces wire fraud for donor deceptions in her Trump asset suits. All three followed Trump’s public entreaties, but Bolton’s case—bolstered by career FBI “meticulous work” under Patel—stands strongest, mirroring (and eclipsing) the Mar-a-Lago farce the left pinned on Trump. Where Trump cooperated fully, Bolton hoarded and hacked into; where Biden’s garage went unscathed, Bolton’s SCIF was scorned.
Democrats wail “authoritarianism,” but this is accountability: The Espionage Act, wielded against Trump by politicized prosecutors, now bites back at the elite enablers who greenlit Clinton’s emails and ignored Hunter’s laptop. As one X meme blasted, “JOHN BOLTON HAS BEEN INDICTED”—complete with a grim reaper graphic signaling swamp drain progress.
Wall Street barely blinked, the Dow nudging up 0.4% Friday on tariff optimism, undeterred by Bolton’s drama—investors betting Trump’s purges signal regulatory relief and foreign policy steel. PredictIt odds for GOP congressional sweeps climbed to 72%, fueled by base fervor: Posts like “Kash & President Trump Say More People Are Involved” hint at a widening net, boosting confidence in a DOJ that protects rather than persecutes patriots.
Bolton’s fall isn’t about mustache envy—it’s about oaths broken. For 40 years, he preached national security; now, his “diaries” dangle like Damocles’ sword over U.S. assets. Trump’s DOJ isn’t Stalinist—it’s surgical, excising tumors the left romanticized as “dissent.” As Bolton fights (and likely flails) in court, conservatives celebrate: A foreign policy unpoisoned by profiteers, an FBI reforged for threats real, not rivalrous. The mustache twitches, but the rule of law endures—and America, uncompromised, thrives.
October 17, 2025
Palantir’s Success in Washington and the Resulting 600% Surge in Its Stock Price

Once dismissed as a niche Silicon Valley data-mining firm, Palantir Technologies PLTR +600.00% ▲ has undergone a dramatic metamorphosis, transforming into a central fixture in Washington’s national security and AI strategies. As its stock soared nearly 600% from early 2024 through mid‑2025, Palantir cemented its reputation as a co-equal to political insiders—and embraced the aggressive posture of the Trump era it now serves.

Once dismissed as a niche Silicon Valley data-mining firm, Palantir Technologies has undergone a dramatic metamorphosis, transforming into a central fixture in Washington’s national security and AI strategies. As its stock soared nearly 600% from early 2024 through mid‑2025, Palantir cemented its reputation as a co-equal to political insiders—and embraced the aggressive posture of the Trump era it now serves.
In early 2023, CEO Alex Karp stunned the company by announcing that Palantir was developing a next-generation Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP)—even though no such project existed. As The Wall Street Journal recounts, Karp viewed the shift toward AI as inevitable and confidently placed Palantir at the center of it. His engineers then raced to build the product. What emerged became a centerpiece of national defense contracts and commercial integrations.
In Q2 2025, AIP’s adoption helped Palantir smash through its first $1 billion quarterly revenue—a 33% rise in profits and skyrocketing U.S. commercial business by 93% year-over-year.

Palantir’s proximity to power was turbocharged in President Trump’s second term, as the firm took over major federal contracts. It consolidated dozens of disparate deals into a $10 billion Department of Defense agreement, serviced by Palantir’s mission-grade Gotham and AIP platforms Axios reported.
This alignment transformed Palantir from tech oddball to national strategic partner. Its new posture earned comparisons to Trump himself—tough, unfiltered, unapologetically patriotic.
Palantir’s share price multiplied more than six-fold since early 2024, drawing enormous investor attention. Analyst Stephen Guilfoyle of WallStreetPit flagged the firm’s explosive growth: over 52% U.S. business growth in Q4, a 36% revenue increase, $1.25 billion in adjusted free cash flow, and profitability—even boasting 7 cents adjusted EPS. He raised his price target to a lofty $153/share, reflecting continued bullish sentiment.
The stock’s rise has outpaced major indices. In early 2025, Palantir was among the top performers in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq‑100, ending over $400 billion in market cap—surpassing giants like Salesforce and Adobe.
With the stock surging, CEO Karp executed an aggressive share selloff: 38 million shares worth roughly $1.88 billion in 2024 alone, much of it near the presidential election. He’s signaled plans to sell nearly 10 million more in 2025, indicating a continued cash-out strategy leveraging Palantir’s rally.
Despite such windfalls, critics highlight Palantir’s outsized valuation—trading at more than 200x future earnings and 80x projected revenue, per FT’s John Foley. While revenue is strong, skeptics warn the stock behaves like a meme—powered more by hype than fundamentals.
Palantir’s success rests on an ideological playbook: blend AI prowess with government proximity. The company has built a “revolving door” of personnel exchanges between Washington and its executive ranks—including figures drawn from the Pentagon, CIA, DHS, and even the UK’s NHS. That insider network helped lock in contracts exceeding $1.3 billion with U.S. defense agencies and expanded lobbying to $5.8 million in 2024.
The firm’s approach is flexible: smartly toe political lines, anticipate shifts in power, and monetize defense policymaking. Palantir’s global positioning reflects that model—growing its Washington footprint even as its commercial footprint expands.
The company’s victories aren’t immune to challenges. In February 2025, Palantir shares plunged nearly 20% after news broke that the Pentagon might cut defense spending by 8% annually for five years, threatening Palantir’s pipeline.
Moreover, critics raise alarms about ethics and bias—its close ties to ICE and surveillance applications invite scrutiny over privacy, fairness, and oversight.
Still, Palantir’s AI platform is winning new contracts beyond defense—it now serves clients like the FAA, CDC, IRS, and even corporate giants, and stands as a singular example of AI-centric growth in a sluggish tech sector.
Palantir’s journey from controversial data firm to the poster child of AI‑powered government contracting has redefined what it means to succeed in tech—the old Silicon Valley playbook of consumer apps and venture capital liquidity has been traded for political entanglement and defense scoring.
Its 600% stock run was fueled not just by AI hype, but by a deliberate embrace of political alignment and contract design. The question now is whether that trajectory can last—once the federal tide turns, or budgets tighten, Palantir’s value may be tested.
August 5, 2025
Canada is buying Australia’s JORN defense radar system, a decision that reflects a broader change
In the red dirt near Laverton in Western Australia, two rows of poles sit side by side, stretching three kilometres into the distance.
They are antennas — 480 sets of them — and they are just one part of a vast radar system that lets Australia monitor the sky and sea thousands of kilometres from our shores.
The system is called JORN, which stands for Jindalee Operational Radar Network. Jindalee is an Aboriginal word that means ‘the place the eye cannot see’.
“It’s critical for Australia,” said the nation’s Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro.
A JORN receiver site near Alice Springs. (Supplied: Department of Defence)
“Being a small nation, we need to understand where the risks to our country come from. And JORN gives us those eyes and ears.”
The system is recognised as a world leader in over-the-horizon radar. And Canada has taken note, announcing plans last month to spend $6.5 billion to purchase JORN for its Arctic defence.
“It really is a very significant milestone,” Professor Monro told 7.30.
“It is the biggest defence export proposed by quite some margin, and it really holds up the extraordinary things we can do in Australia when we put our minds to it and commit.”
Top Gun’s Maverick couldn’t avoid it
The kind of low flying seen in Top Gun Maverick would not be enough to outsmart JORN. (Supplied)
JORN is the product of 50 years of development by the Commonwealth’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG).
Aside from Laverton, it also operates from stations near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and Longreach in Queensland to give Australia unsurpassed surveillance capabilities up to 3,000 kilometres away.
The radar’s operations centre is at RAAF Base Edinburgh, north of Adelaide, and across the road is a vast DSTG site where research leader Dr Joe Fabrizio heads a team that constantly tweaks the high frequency radio waves that give JORN its edge.
Dr Joe Fabrizio says JORN is a “high class and high value” system (ABC News: Trent Murphy)
“The interest that there has been in JORN is a testament to the high class and high value over-the-horizon radar systems that defence and [the] defence industry … are capable of producing,” he said.
Unlike conventional radars, JORN transmits high frequency radio waves 110 kilometres up into the ionosphere, where they bounce back to the Earth’s surface from above.
Objects underneath — like planes or ships on the ocean surface — are detected when waves reflect back to JORN’s massive array of receivers, thousands of kilometres away.
JORN works by transmitting radio waves into the ionosphere which bounce back down onto the earth’s surface. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)
“One of the key features of over the horizon radar is it’s down-looking viewing geometry,” Dr Fabrizio said.
“What that means is that targets that [are] flying low can’t deliberately use mountains or valleys to avoid illumination and avoid detection by an (over-the-horizon) radar.”
In other words, all that low flying you see in movies like Top Gun Maverick to avoid radar won’t work with JORN.
“An over-the-horizon radar can detect and track aircraft … the same size as a BAE Hawk 127, which is around 12-metres long, or larger aircraft, and ships the same size as an Armidale-class patrol boat which is roughly 56-metres long,” Dr Fabrizio said.
It’s not American
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the deal to buy JORN in March. (Reuters: Carlos Osorio)
Defence journalist Murray Brewster from Canada’s CBC said JORN is just the sort of system needed in the Arctic.
Canada has been under pressure from the US to ramp up defence spending, especially in the far north where its Cold War-era radar stations need to be replaced.
“It’s been a few years that Canada has been in the market for this,” Brewster told 7.30.
“However the interest in Australia’s system is very, very new.”
The actions of US President Donald Trump may have played a part in Canada choosing the Australian defence system. (AP: Alex Brandon)
So new, that when Canada’s new prime minister Mark Carney announced the deal to purchase JORN, many in the defence community were stunned.
“It is not something I’ve heard discussed in defence circles until virtually just ahead of the announcement,” he said.
Brewster believes with US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs and proposing to annex Canada, JORN has one other major advantage — it’s not American.
A JORN transmitter site at Harts Range, Alice Springs. (Supplied: Department of Defence)
“I think one of the things that that led to this decision, and it … seemingly coming out of nowhere, is the fact that the JORN system is operational and it’s proven — and it’s also Australian,”
Brewster said.
“[The purchase] presented itself as a political opportunity for Canada to not wean itself off of the US defence industrial complex entirely, but certainly make a political point.”
Canada ‘moving with urgency’
Australian defence scientists have been developing JORN for 50 years. (Supplied: BAE Systems)
Historically Canada moves slowly when it comes to defence purchases and it has taken so long to replace its F-18 fighter jets, that in 2019 it bought used ones from Australia to fill the gap until new planes arrive.
And there have been few details about how the JORN purchase will unfold, but Professor Monro believes this time Canada intends to move much faster.
“It’s very clear that Canada are moving with urgency, because they also have some really pressing needs to be able to surveil their northern reaches across the Arctic,”
she said.
Chief defence scientist Professor Tanya Monro says JORN gives Australia the “eyes and ears” it needs. (Supplied: Department of Defence)
Climate change is impacting the Arctic region and ice coverage is receding. The vast waters north of Canada are more accessible than ever to potential threats.
The country recently said there was increased Russian and Chinese activity in Arctic waters.
Brewster says Canada can’t afford to wait on defence.
“The government needs to demonstrate not only to the United States but to other major allies that it is taking the defence of its own territory seriously,” he said.
He believes buying JORN from Australia does just that.
May 14, 2025