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State Department Report Exposes Cuba’s Guerrilla Warfare Ties to U.S. Leftist Networks
A State Department report released July 21, 2026, identifies the Venceremos Brigade as a key vehicle for Cuba’s efforts to advance urban guerrilla warfare and terrorism in the United States through ties to American leftist activists. The brigade, formed in 1969 with Cuban support, has brought some 10,000 U.S. activists to the island for propagandistic trips and weapons training while forging links with elected Democrats, labor leaders, and groups including the Black Lives Matter movement. It helped establish the Weather Underground, which carried out bombings, and maintains connections to figures such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who visited Cuba frequently, along with nonprofits like Thousand Currents and the People’s Forum. The report describes these activities as part of a broader Cuban strategy to undermine the United States through influence campaigns, espionage and subversion, with officials labeling the network one of the largest vectors for hostile foreign influence in modern American history.
🏛️ News & Politics
US Media Treads Lightly on China Voter Data Revelations Due to Business Links with Beijing
President Donald Trump declassified intelligence documents revealing that China obtained more than 220 million U.S. voter registration records since 2020. He criticized major news outlets for not covering the disclosures vigorously after his remarks. Media organizations described the information as old news or downplayed its significance by noting that some voter data is commercially available. Security experts countered that the Chinese haul included sensitive details like phone numbers absent from public datasets. China analyst Gordon Chang suggested outlets may avoid angering Beijing over commercial interests. U.S. media companies have received substantial payments from China Daily, a state-run outlet, with past examples including millions paid to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Some outlets have self-censored China-related stories historically to protect business ties, such as Bloomberg killing investigative pieces. Entertainment giants owning media properties also maintain financial stakes in China that could influence coverage.
Maine Democrat Senate Hopeful Troy Jackson Earns Union Pay While Posing as North Woods Logger
Troy Jackson, the likely Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, presents himself as a logger from the North Woods of Maine. Federal and state disclosures show he has also served as a political operative and temporary organizer for District Council 35 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, a Boston-based labor organization. He earned nearly $100,000 from the union intermittently between 2017 and 2025, including $21,820 in 2025. Jackson previously served as Maine Senate president from 2018 to 2024 and ran unsuccessfully for governor earlier this year. Democrats tapped him as a replacement for Graham Platner, who stepped aside amid controversies. Jackson’s campaign website and public statements highlight his logging roots in Aroostook County without mentioning the Boston union role.
Wisconsin Democrats Seek Absentee Ballot Recasts After Primary Candidate Changes
Wisconsin Democrats are pressing the state Elections Commission to let voters recast more than 80,000 already-returned absentee ballots for the Aug. 11 gubernatorial primary. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez suspended her campaign on July 17. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley reentered the race the next day after briefly dropping out. The push follows a July 9 bipartisan commission vote limiting ballot spoiling. Voters cannot now cancel a submitted absentee ballot and get a replacement simply because their preferred candidate withdrew. Democrats argue the guidance violates state law and prior practices. It also conflicts with a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court precedent against changing election rules close to voting. The party says the rule unfairly limits voter choice after ballots went out. Commission guidance stands for now. Clerks face administrative challenges with any last-minute changes.
IDEMIA Rejects Blame for Noncitizen Voter Registrations in New Jersey
IDEMIA rejected blame for the improper registration of about 6,600 noncitizens to vote in New Jersey. The company provides software to the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission for processing driver's license and identification card applications. It transmits voter registration information but maintains that the New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections is responsible for verifying eligibility. Noncitizens answered no to the citizenship question on applications yet were registered anyway between June 2023 and June 2024. Gov. Mikie Sherrill blamed a software error and said fewer than 400 of those registered voted. The state has removed the registrations and is replacing the vendor. The disclosure follows federal scrutiny of voter rolls.
High Taxes Drive New York Millionaire Out of State, Costing Billions in Revenue
New York lost an estimated $51.5 billion in personal income tax revenue between 2011 and 2022 as its share of the nation’s millionaires declined from 12.7 percent in 2010 to 8.7 percent in 2022. The number of New York residents earning more than $1 million rose from over 33,000 in 2010 to over 67,000 in 2022. Other states gained ground faster, with California and Texas tripling their millionaire counts and Florida quadrupling its total during the same period. A Citizens Budget Commission analysis found the state would have collected roughly $10.7 billion more in personal income taxes in 2022 alone if it had held its 2010 share of millionaires. Top earners in New York derive much of their income from capital gains and non-wage sources with 83 percent of income for those earning over $10 million coming from such investments. The state’s share of realized capital gains nationwide fell from 14 percent in 2010 to 8.9 percent in 2022 while Florida’s rose to lead the nation. New York ranks at the bottom in tax competitiveness according to relevant indexes.
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Arizona Whistleblower Exposes Drugging of Native Americans in Fake Rehab Medicaid Scam
A whistleblower in Arizona has detailed a sprawling Medicaid fraud operation targeting Native Americans that allegedly involved luring vulnerable individuals into white vans with promises of treatment. Operators then supplied them with fentanyl, methamphetamine, alcohol, and other drugs before confining them in unlicensed sober living facilities in the Phoenix area, where doors were locked from the outside and cameras monitored rooms. Reva Stewart, a Navajo advocate, said the scheme began drawing her attention after her cousin was plied with substances during transport and given a fentanyl pill when refusing to stay. State officials had known of related fraud since 2019, yet the operation reportedly generated billions in improper billings, with estimates ranging from $2.5 billion to as high as $12 billion. Up to 2,000 Native Americans may be dead or missing as a result. A related civil lawsuit accuses Arizona authorities of enabling the diversion of thousands of tribal members into these bogus homes where little to no actual care occurred, and patients were kept addicted to maximize reimbursements.
DSA Candidate Interned at Hamas-Linked West Bank University Known for Terror Recruitment
New York socialist congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier taught professional competency courses at An-Najah National University in the West Bank from May 2014 to July 2014. International watchdog and Israeli government reports identified the public Palestinian Authority campus as a hub for terrorist recruitment and radicalization before and after her internship. Hamas recognized An-Najah as a “greenhouse for martyrs.” Students staged a Hamas-themed graduation during her stay with banners and flags honoring the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers. Avila Chevalier won her Democratic primary in June with endorsements from the Democratic Socialists of America and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. She has described the West Bank experience as formative for her views equating American systems with oppression abroad.
George Washington University Runs Free Summer Program for Middle Schoolers Focused on Activism
George Washington University offers a free five-week Civic Changemakers summer program for middle school students in D.C. Public Schools through its Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. The initiative pairs participants with college student interns for community advocacy projects, field trips, and workshops that culminate in public presentations of student-led initiatives aimed at influencing their local communities. Past iterations included lessons centered on the Black Lives Matter movement to teach social justice, as well as surveys on gun violence promoted to encourage opposition to Second Amendment rights. The program emphasizes progressive causes over traditional academics while building skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking.
Teachers Unions Push DEI Mandates Into Classroom AI Tools
The National Education Association, America’s largest teachers union, is advancing efforts to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles into artificial intelligence systems used in schools. A report from Defending Education detailed how the NEA’s AI in Education Hub and sample school board policies emphasize equity and address supposed algorithmic bias rooted in the demographics of AI creators. The union’s materials claim AI tools require audits to mitigate biases based on race, gender and other identities. Similar initiatives from the American Federation of Teachers include guidance stressing that technologies must advance equity and fairness while avoiding widening divides. Other education groups have echoed these positions through policies requiring vendor transparency on equity standards before AI adoption.
Colorado Democrat Manny Rutinel Opposed Mandatory Sentences for Child Sex Crimes
Manny Rutinel, the Democrat nominee for Colorado’s Eighth Congressional District, voted with fellow Democrats on a House committee to kill a 2024 bill that would have imposed mandatory minimum prison sentences on adults convicted of crimes involving child prostitutes. The legislation targeted class-three felonies such as soliciting with at least four years behind bars and class-two felonies like coercing a minor into prostitution with eight years. Critics, including the Gazette Editorial Board, argued the defeat rolled out a welcome mat for those who exploit children. A similar but weaker bill later passed with Rutinel’s cosponsorship after removing the strict mandatory minimum for soliciting. The vote drew renewed attention amid Rutinel’s competitive race against Republican incumbent Gabe Evans (R-CO).
🌐 International
Trump Approves Nuclear Pact With Saudi Arabia Allowing Possible Uranium Enrichment
President Donald Trump has approved a 30-year nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that could give the kingdom uranium enrichment capability for a civilian program. The pact is expected to be announced publicly soon and involves U.S. companies in developing Saudi nuclear infrastructure, including a potential enrichment facility following a joint study. It aims to generate tens of billions of dollars for American firms such as Westinghouse while limiting roles for competitors like Russia and China. The deal lacks the so-called gold standard that bars enrichment and reprocessing, and it omits the IAEA’s Additional Protocol for enhanced inspections, drawing concerns from nonproliferation experts about risks in the Middle East amid regional tensions. The agreement will go to Congress for review but would be hard to block.
US Bombers Depart UK Bases Toward Iran Following Burnham Approval
US bombers reportedly departed UK bases shortly after new Prime Minister Andy Burnham approved continued American use of British military facilities. The aircraft left amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and threats to the Strait of Hormuz. Reports indicate the move followed President Donald Trump’s warning about potential strikes on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility. Burnham’s decision maintains the prior policy under Keir Starmer that permits US operations from sites including RAF Fairford for defensive purposes. No official statement came from Burnham’s office on the specific approval. The context involves ongoing efforts to address Iran’s nuclear activities and regional shipping security following earlier US-Iran agreements and subsequent breakdowns.
Trump Signals No Interest in Iran Talks Without Serious Commitments
President Donald Trump said Tuesday in the Oval Office that the United States has no interest in meeting with Iran at this time. He stated that Iranian officials want to meet desperately to end the conflict because they are getting decimated by U.S. actions. Trump added that Washington will only engage once Iran is ready for talks in a meaningful way. He spoke during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and emphasized that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Recent U.S. and Iranian attacks have escalated as their interim deal to end the war falls apart. The president also referenced upcoming dignified transfers for U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks in Jordan and Iraq.
US Ukraine Sign Preliminary Deal Allowing Kyiv Drone Exports for Pentagon Testing
The United States and Ukraine have signed a preliminary agreement that permits Kyiv to export its drones to America for military testing. The deal, described as a statement of intent, follows months of negotiations and marks the first formal step toward deeper defense-industrial cooperation between the two nations. It gives the Pentagon access to Ukrainian unmanned aerial, ground and maritime systems refined during more than four years of conflict with Russia as part of the U.S. military’s Drone Dominance initiative, a $1 billion effort aimed at acquiring large numbers of small combat drones. While not a full production contract, the agreement opens the door to potential joint manufacturing on American soil and positions Ukraine as a supplier rather than solely an aid recipient.
Suspected Pedophile French Modeling Scout Named Thousands of Times in Epstein Files Found Dead at Home
A French modeling scout named more than 2,000 times in U.S. Department of Justice Epstein files was found dead at his home in Colombes, a suburb west of Paris, on Monday. Daniel Siad, 69, faced an ongoing French investigation over accusations that he helped traffic and abuse women for Jeffrey Epstein. Prosecutors said his cause of death remains unclear pending an autopsy. Siad had communicated with Epstein for about a decade, including emails in which he bragged about recruiting young women and likened the process to fishing. He denied any wrongdoing and claimed he did not know Epstein posed a danger. At least two women accused Siad of grooming them for Epstein, with one alleging rape.
