The Monday Morning Muck

Weekend News Round Up (7/19/25 - 7/20/25)

Jul 21, 2025

High Priority

The US deployed B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs to the UK, marking the first time US nuclear weapons have been based in UK territory since their removal in 2008. This movement and the rearmament process began shortly after the inauguration with a DOD notice from Hegseth.

The weapons are believed to have been flown from the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to a newly constructed secure storage facility at the UK site.
The re-establishment of nuclear storage capability at Lakenheath was first signalled in 2022 through U.S. budget documents, which listed infrastructure upgrades consistent with nuclear mission readiness.
Neither the U.S. Air Force nor UK officials have issued comment on this week’s reported deployment.
Read more from the UK Defense Journal

7/17/25

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command issued a warning on Thursday to some retired senior military personnel who served in Iraq or Syria that they were the target of a possible terrorist threat.
The alert, circulated to those now living in Florida, neither specified what kind of threat or which terrorist group was involved, nor which country or entity provided the information. But officials deemed it credible enough to issue the warning, according to Col. Allie Scott, a spokeswoman for the command.
The alert, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, said the threat did not target active-duty special operations personnel, but cautioned them “to remain alert to their surroundings, both on and off post, and to report any suspicious activity to appropriate authorities.”
Read more from the New York Times

US Government

Tulsi Gabbard has openly accused the Obama administration of launching a “years-long coup” against President Donald Trump in an attempt to subvert his 2016 election win.
Gabbard released declassified emails Friday and claimed that they reveal a “treasonous conspiracy” committed by former President Barack Obama and his officials over the investigation surrounding Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Read more from The Independent

The Wall Street Journal claimed on Saturday that the Trump administration is conducting a review of SpaceX government contracts amid tension between Trump and Musk.

Initial reports suggest that while aides discussed potentially ending some contracts, most were found to be “too vital to national security and space operations.”

According to Axios, senior officials within the Trump administration are growing increasingly frustrated with the recent actions of the Israeli Prime Minister.

Unnamed officials described Netanyahu’s actions as those of a “madman” and a “child who just won’t behave.” Much of this frustration reportedly stems from the recent Israeli strikes in Syria and the shelling of the last Catholic church in Gaza.

US Media

Back in June and a month before the release of the bombshell WSJ article exposing Trump’s birthday note to Epstein, JD Vance made a quiet and quick day trip to Montana to meet Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, the head of Fox News and News Corp. Vance also met with other Fox News executives on the trip at the Murdoch ranch near Dillon.

Two people familiar with the trip confirmed it to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

Also see: Vance’s post on BlueSky “teasing” the future of his political career while wearing a “Trump 2028” hat.

On Friday, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, a day after they published a story reporting on his close ties to Epstein.

The move came shortly after the Justice Department asked a federal court on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein’s sex trafficking case, as the administration seeks to contain the firestorm that erupted after it announced that it would not be releasing additional files from the case, despite previously pledging to do so.
Read more from PBS

US Economy

State Government

Starting in the new school year, it will be easier for Texas schools to suspend or even dis-enroll homeless students. The bill was passed by the Texas House last month 10-1.

House Bill 6, passed during the most recent legislative session, makes it easier to issue out-of-school suspensions for students below the third grade and students considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act — federal legislation passed in 1987 that requires schools to provide transportation and enrollment services to homeless students.
HB 6 effectively overturns a 2019 state law that made it illegal for schools to suspend students experiencing homelessness except in extreme cases involving drugs, alcohol, weapons or violence.
Read more from the San Antonio Report

ICE

Prosecutors dropped the last remaining charges against Atlanta-area journalist Mario Guevara last week after he was arrested while livestreaming a protest in June. But the influential Salvadorian reporter remains penned up in a south Georgia detention center, fending off a deportation case, jail house extortionists and despair, people familiar with his situation told the Guardian.

In an exclusive interview with CBS News, the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said his agents will arrest anyone they find in the country illegally, even if they lack a criminal record, while also cracking down on companies hiring unauthorized workers.
Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, said his agency will prioritize its "limited resources" on arresting and deporting "the worst of the worst," such as those in the U.S. unlawfully who also have serious criminal histories.
But Lyons said non-criminals living in the U.S. without authorization will also be taken into custody during arrest operations, arguing that states and cities with "sanctuary" policies that limit cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement are forcing his agents to go into communities by not turning over noncitizen inmates.
Read more from CBS

Parisa Firouzabadi and Pouria Pourhosseinhendabad were drinking tea on a warm Sunday evening in June when they heard a knock at their apartment door in Baton Rouge. According to court documents, two police officers said they were there to discuss a hit-and-run accident that the married couple had reported weeks earlier — might they see the damage on the car?
The couple, immigrants from Iran studying at Louisiana State University, led the officers to their apartment’s parking lot. Then, without knowing why, their lawyers say, the two were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
After nearly a month in custody and two petitions challenging their detainment, a magistrate judge this week ordered that Firouzabadi, 30, and Pourhosseinhendabad, 29, be released and that all removal proceedings against them be dismissed.
Read more from the Washington Post

Judicial Rulings

On 7/16/25, a court ruled that the state of Arkansas can enforce a law that bans the teaching of critical race theory and related concepts in public schools. The decision lifts any previous injunctions that prevented the state rom implementing the controversial education law.

7/18/25

Sex pest Andrew Cuomo settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with his former aide, Brittany Commisso. Her lawyers described the settlement as a “complete vindication of her claims.”

This development in Cuomo’s long story as a pariah comes as he is still running for mayor of NYC, just as an Indepdent now after losing the primary to Mamdani.

Also see: Cuomo’s role on Netanyahu’s legal team defending him against the ICC’s charge of war crimes.

7/18/25

On Friday, a Federal Judge dismissed Trump’s long-stalled lawsuit against Bob Woodward, a renowned investigative journalist who covered Watergate. Trump initially sued Woodward over the latter releasing audiotapes from an interview for a 2020 book.

U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe, a Bush appointee, rejected Trump’s arguments that he is a joint author of the tapes and ruled that even if he wasn’t, the interview responses are protected copyright.

International News

Russia revealed on Sunday the domestic mass production of Geran-2 (Shahed) drones in Alabuga.

State television footage showcased the mass production of the one-way attack drones in numerous stages of assembly within a large, modern industrial facility in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan.

The broadcast is the first official public confirmation of a successfully established domestic production line for the weapon system.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, played a significant role in influencing Trump’s position regarding Russia and the “necessity of military support for Ukraine.”

According to Wadephul, Merz engaged in systematic conversations with Trump, emphasizing a clear commitment to Ukraine’s defense. The Foreign Minister went on to specifically mention a phone call where Merz reportedly told Trump “the US is critically needed at this time.”

Source: Wadephul in an interview with Bild, as reported by European Pravda

The US formally welcomed the signing of a “Declaration of Principles” between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and representatives of the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (M23).

The agreement was facilitated by the State of Qatar and observed by the US, which described it as a “meaningful step toward advancing lasting peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region.” On the other hand, experts are warning that success is relative and it all depends on the implementation of the agreement.

In the declaration of principles signed under Qatari mediation in Doha on Saturday, the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebellion affirmed their commitment to seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict through negotiation, in line with the principles of the DRC Constitution, the African Union and United Nations charters.

The Middle East

Iraq’s Water Resources Minister, Aoun Diab, formally requested that Turkiye increase water releases from its dams. The request came during a meeting in Baghdad with Turkish Ambassador Anil Bora Inan.

The Iraqi Minister declared that Iraq is facing its “most severe” water crisis, attributing it to a sharp drop in rainfall and declining inflows from the Tigris and Euphrates, both of which originate in Turkiye.

The public request and declaration of need places significant diplomatic pressure on Turikye to act under the recently signed bilateral framework agreement.

Source: Sitrep via local media sources

On Sunday, Iran agreed to resume talks with the E3 nations - France, the UK, and Germany - over its nuclear program. Discussions are anticipated to begin in this week after the trio threatened sanctions if talks did not resume.

US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack announced on Sunday that all parties have reach an agreement for a nationwide truce. It took effect at 17:00 (5 pm) Damascus time on 7/20/25.

Israel & Palestine

On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office announced that the PM is sick with food poisoning and thus will not be able to attend his trial hearings as scheduled for 7/21-22.

The trial will resume in September when the court reopens.

Prior to this, Netanyahu had been testifying twice a week in the cross-examination section of his trial, though hearings were canceled due to the Iran attacks and Netanyahu’s diplomatic visit to the United States last month.

On Sunday, Israeli forces carried out a direct attack targeting a Palestinian Civil Defense point, ocated at the Applied College within the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. This area was previously declared a humanitarian zone by Israel (Sitrep).

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah issued an urgent warning on Sunday saying its on the verge of a complete shutdown of services (Sitrep).

As of writing on 7/20/25, the hospital is expected to shut down within hours due to the total depletion of its fuel reserves.

The Freedom Flotilla has relaunched, setting sail from Gallipoli, Italy on Sunday in a renewed attempt to deliver humanitarian aid Gaza. As always, their state mission is to challenge the long standing Israeli naval blockade.

Also on Sunday, the Freedom Flotilla announced suspected sabotage of the Handala, a civilian ship also on its way to Gaza. The team shared on Instagram that hours before they were set to depart, they discovered a rope tightly wrapped around the boat’s propeller. They continued to share the rope appeared to be deliberately placed, rather than something that could have happened through normal operation or by accident. Later Sunday morning, a truck arrived to deliver fresh water to the Handala but the container was labeled sulfuric acid which it did indeed contain. A crew member was splashed on the leg and sustained chemical burns while another suffered burns to his hands after opening the container. The crew and the organization as a whole believe these were “calculated attempts” to harm the crew and mission. They await the outcome of a full investigation.

Source: Freedom Flotilla