United States | News & Politics

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The U.S. military has fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in four weeks of war with Iran, burning through the precision weapons at a rate that has alarmed some Pentagon officials and prompted internal discussions about how to make more available, said people familiar with the matter.

The missiles, which can be launched from Navy surface warships and submarines, have been a staple of U.S. military attacks since they were first used in combat in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. But only a few hundred are manufactured each year, meaning the global supply is limited. The Pentagon does not publicly disclose how many missiles are in its inventory at any one time.

Tomahawks are prized in part because they can travel more than 1,000 miles, reducing the need to send American pilots into well-defended airspace. The heavy reliance on them in the Iran conflict will require urgent discussions about whether to relocate some from other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific, and a concerted long-term effort to build more, said several U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning.

The dilemma has laid bare broader concerns in both the Pentagon and Congress about the Trump administration’s war in Iran, its shifting explanations for why the conflict is necessary, and the risks a shortage could pose to the United States as it balances the potential for future conflict in other parts of the world. It comes as the White House deliberates over a possible major escalation in Iran, to include the use of ground troops, while pursuing negotiations to end hostilities.

Police logs say an ICE agent was “trapped in his car” and pelted with snowballs. Police also logged numerous calls about ICE agents patrolling schools and allegedly “harassing children.”

The documents the article is about are here

For 20 years, Tim O’Harrow has asked lawmakers to acknowledge that America’s food supply depends on immigrants. Politics went in the other direction.

Between 2021 and 2024, home insurance costs increased by about 50% in Illinois, and this year, the state’s insurance rates are expected to climb about 5%.

National data here

Guys we are fucked Iran stole Kash Patel's next Children's Book and surely they are going to print fake propaganda versions to poison the minds of young children into chanting "Death To America!".

Make sure to only buy FBI Branded Merchandise from your local trusted Genital Inspection Office!

Paywall bypass: https://archive.ph/dkPyt

ON MARCH 24TH, with the rescheduled launch of Artemis II just a week away, NASA unveiled a drastic shake-up of the entire Artemis lunar programme. The centrepiece was a detailed plan to build a permanent base near the lunar south pole. Artemis II will send four astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, the opening mission of a programme designed to return Americans to the lunar surface by 2028, ahead of China.

The plan is the most serious American commitment to the Moon since Apollo, built for permanence through iteration rather than a single grand gesture of flags and footprints. But the political logic funding it is a different story.

In Washington, the case for the base is almost entirely competitive: beat China, don’t cede the Moon. That framing has been politically effective. Competition with China was the reason nuclear power for the lunar surface appeared in NASA’s budget for the first time in decades. It is probably what forced the Artemis restructuring. It concentrates congressional attention, loosens appropriations and gives the agency leverage it has not had since Apollo. No honest accounting of how this base came to exist can omit the role of competitive pressure.

But “We’re building this because of China” is not the same as “We’re building this because it serves American interests regardless of what a competitor does.” One is a political accelerant, the other a foundation. Accelerants burn out. A programme that takes decades to complete needs both.

America has tested this. In the 1960s it built the most extraordinary exploration programme in history, landed on the Moon six times—and then walked away. Not because the technology failed, but because the competitive rationale that sustained it had been satisfied. America forfeited half a century of lunar presence because the race was over.

Some will argue that, unlike with the Soviet Union, competition with China is structural and lasting. Perhaps. But the cold war itself lasted four decades, and the Moon was a priority for fewer than ten of those years. Enduring rivalry does not guarantee enduring attention to any single programme. The competitive gaze shifts. NASA’s new plan, much better in its architecture, is vulnerable to the same fate if competition with China remains its only load-bearing wall.

To be clear: this is not an argument against using competitive framing to get the programme funded. It is an argument against relying on that framing alone. If the race with China is the sole foundation, a budget crisis, a change in administration or even an unexpected thaw with Beijing could see funding for the base cut. A programme of that scale needs a broader political coalition than competitive anxiety can provide.

Palestinian rights activist Nerdeen Kiswani faced a chilling assassination plot following threats from a Republican congressman and a Zionist group. The FBI intervened, but the danger remains. How can we stand against hate-driven violence and protect those fighting for justice?

‘Looksmaxxer’ influencer and his girlfriend are suspected of involvement in attack on 19-year-old woman, officials say

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/45104747

NAziTO strikes again!

The Trump administration is considering purchasing a number of private immigrant detention centers across the US. Doing so may allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to bypass state laws geared at curbing abuses in the facilities.

When right wing billionaire Larry Ellison (and his nepobaby kid David) hired trolling blogger Bari Weiss to run CBS News, Weiss arrived with the promise of “balanced, fact-based news,” “independent, principled journalism,” and a unique “entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision” that would completely modernize the network and reach the “everyday Americans” traditionally ignored by mainstream media.

You can find one near you here

The bill excludes funding for ICE and Border Patrol but restores it for federal airport security workers. The House could consider the package on Friday.

Some immigrants with chronic health problems were swept up by ICE in Minnesota, leading to missed medications and, for one man, missed chemotherapy sessions.

ICE stopped paying for medical care months ago, so there are probably a lot more stories like this.

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