Posts on Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Russia’s main domestic security agency said Wednesday that Pavel Durov, founder and owner of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism and put on an international wanted list. The charges against Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia but later moved abroad, came as the Russian authorities restrict Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in the country. It is part of a long-term effort to bring the internet under the Kremlin’s full control that has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday that the State Department is set to reinstate funding for a global humanitarian vaccine program after the Trump administration previously paused the program. “It is welcome news that following our recent outreach, the State Department has committed to contributing the full $600 million for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance,” Collins said in a Tuesday press release. I have worked to ensure that the Department uses this funding Congress appropriated to replenish U.S. funding to GAVI, an organization that plays a critical role in averting the spread of preventable diseases globally and stopping outbreaks before they reach U.S. borders,” she added.

“What is a think tank?” is a question I get asked all the time. The job of a think tank is to generate the ideas that politicians implement in office. If politics were the movie industry, those we elect would be the stars on the big screen; think tanks help write the script. “But don’t politicians have ideas of their own?” I hear you ask. Of course, they do (though having spent twelve years in the UK's House of Commons before running a think tank, I’d suggest they have them less often than you might imagine). Even with a clear goal -- cutting taxes, improving childcare,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced three separate nationwide drug recalls involving thyroid medication, an injectable antibiotic, and an injectable blood vessel medication because of manufacturing issues that could pose health risks to patients. The recalls involve certain lots of levothyroxine sodium tablets distributed by Major Pharmaceuticals, Cefazolin in Dextrose Injection manufactured by Baxter International, and Papaverine Hydrochloride Injection produced by American Regent Inc. Here’s what patients and healthcare providers should know about each recall.

[T]he pro-Hamas lobby is circulating a mass petition calling for the expulsion of the Israeli Medical Association from the World Medical Association. The petition – which blames the Israeli doctors for alleged bias and omits any mention of Hamas' war crimes – was amplified in June by once-respected UK medical journal The Lancet, clearly crossing the line between professional medical publication and blatant propaganda. Far from providing medical evidence or reflecting professional ethics, the petition, as echoed by The Lancet, recycles political slogans and ancient blood libels, accusing Israel of "genocide" and the destruction of Gaza's health system. Of course,

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) troops thwarted an attempted surprise attack from the terrorist Iranian regime as Tehran doubles down on “death to America.” CENTCOM posted an update on X Tuesday afternoon. “At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” it apprised the public. Both American and Saudi forces are now conducting strikes on Iranian targets.

Four Texas congressional races remain competitive as Election Day approaches, drawing attention to some of the state’s most closely watched contests. In August 2025, the Texas Legislature passed a new congressional map during a special legislative session. Although the map was challenged in court, with a lower court ruling that it raised constitutional concerns over race, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas to use the map for the 2026 midterm elections. Since redistricting, four congressional races—most of them in South Texas—have become competitive, with both parties vying for key seats.

Iran launched a missile strike on US forces in the Middle East on Tuesday in what US Central Command described as a “attempted surprise attack.” All of the missiles were intercepted, CENTCOM says. This comes after President Trump called off the nearly two-week-long bombing campaign against Iran to continue negotiations on Friday. “At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” US Central Command announced in a statement.

Joe Biden shared candid thoughts about some of his fellow Democrat politicians years before his presidency, according to recently released recordings of interviews with his ghostwriter. Biden’s discussions from October 2016 through April 2017 with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer were published by the Oversight Project, a watchdog group, through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The discussions touched on a range of topics including fellow politicians Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. In a discussion on Nov. 3, 2016, Zwonitzer asked Biden, then serving as vice president, “Were you kind of a lonely voice on Ukraine at this point of the administration?”

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., will face dramatically different races for Senate depending on the outcome of the Democratic primary, according to a recent survey. Rogers, who previously sought the state's other Senate seat, is the Republican Party's presumptive nominee. He is likely to face either Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., or Abdul El-Sayed. Should he face Stevens, he would trail her with 44.7% support to the Democrat's 45.5% among Michigan voters, the latest Glengarif Group survey revealed. Stevens's lead widens to 2% among definite voters, with her commanding 46.8% to his 44.8%. Should El-Sayed become the Democratic nominee, however, Rogers would likely cruise to victory.

“I’d rather be Senator Shrek than Pontiac Platner any day,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said in response to Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed telling donors he’d be happy to see Fetterman primaried, putting one “ogre on a pike.” Fetterman’s response tied the radical El-Sayed to the Nazi-tattooed Graham Platner, who had been Maine’s Democratic nominee for Senate before departing the race after rape allegations surfaced. The Pennsylvania senator has clashed with both Platner and El-Sayed over their hostility toward the state of Israel. But El-Sayed has now upped the ante with what even Democrats are calling “violent, vulgar” rhetoric.

A stunning paperwork failure has handed Democrats a guaranteed pickup in Florida House District 47 without forcing them to win a November general election. Democrats have effectively flipped a Republican-held seat in the Florida House after GOP incumbent Paula Stark failed to qualify for the ballot and her legal effort to reverse the disastrous mistake collapsed in court. Leon County Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes formally dismissed Stark’s lawsuit on July 23 and ordered the clerk to close the case, ending the Republican lawmaker’s last-ditch attempt to regain her place on the 2026 ballot, according to Florida Politics. The result is an astonishing and completely avoidable loss for Florida Republicans

Christian father of 11 Paul Vaughn has reached a seven-figure settlement with the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) after being targeted by the Biden DOJ for his pro-life beliefs, his attorneys announced. (snip) In Vaughn’s case, the FBI conducted a predawn raid on his family’s home at gunpoint and arrested him in front of his wife and children, according to his attorneys. (snip) Paul Vaughn was placed in handcuffs by armed FBI agents in front of his children just before school drop-off. Watch as his wife pleads for answers mid-arrest:

A Wisconsin brewery known for anti-Trump social media posts, including one promising a free beer promotion upon the death of President Donald Trump, has had its permit to operate in the state revoked by state officials. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday that liberal activist and brewery owner Kirk Bangstad is "vowing to fight ‘tooth and nail’ after receiving a letter from the state's Department of Revenue revoking Minocqua Brewing Co.'s permit to operate in Wisconsin, according to a July 26 newsletter sent to his supporters."