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Jul 22, 2026 - World

Already mired in a war with Iran that has cost him support with the Republican Party and his most avid base of voters, President Donald Trump is being pressured internally towards a military intervention in Mali.The administration is preparing plans to strike an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group operating across West Africa, according to current and former U.S. officials, The Washington Post is reportingIf approved, Mali would become the eighth nation where Trump has authorized military operations since taking office—a stark contradiction of his campaign promises of ending America's endless wars.The proposal has sparked internal debate among senior officials. National Security Council counterterrorism director Sebastian Gorka is pushing hard for military action, while others within the administration urge caution.The target is JNIM, or Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda-aligned group that has transformed into the region's most formidable militant force. Operating from Mali, JNIM has expanded its reach across coastal West African nations, establishing itself as one of the world's most heavily armed insurgent organizations.Mali, a landlocked nation of nearly 25 million, has "in recent years been plagued by violence by Islamist militant groups — and by Mali’s own junta government and the Russian mercenaries whom it hired to get the situation under control," the report notes.According to the Post, "Any direct U.S. military involvement in Mali runs the risk of hostilities with Russian forces in the region. It also could require deconfliction efforts between Washington and Moscow akin to ones that existed in Syria during that country’s civil war."The timing is catastrophic for Trump politically. His Iran war has already fractured his base. Adding an eighth military engagement while Americans struggle with inflation and rising costs could accelerate the political erosion already evident in recent polling.

Jul 22, 2026 - World

President Trump's envoy to Israel during his first administration dismissed accusations from Democrats on Wednesday that the war with Iran has strained the Abraham Accords -- the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors.

Jul 22, 2026 - World

A Republican's shrugging comments about fallen U.S. military service members were criticized on Wednesday amid growing unpopularity over the Iran war.Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) was talking to CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer about recent polling showing that Americans are opposed to the conflict, despite President Donald Trump's remarks that Americans are in favor of the war. Trump had defended the military strikes before heading to the dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base for four military members killed in recent days.Journalist Aaron Rupar shared the exchange on X and quoted Gimenez in a manner highlighting a significant word in his statement: "My heart goes out to the families of those four, but ... "That "but" rankled with Rupar's readers. Patric Reynolds, comic book artist and progressive political commentator, wrote, "There should be no 'but' after that,"Liberal political commentator Trish Crawford raised her concerns over what Gimenez said."I’ve started to view all of the words in a sentence that come before 'but' as untruthful" Crawford wrote on Bluesky. "The heart of the statement comes after."Giminez followed up his comment by explaining, "At the end I think the best way to honor the dead... is to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Anything short of that, for me, is failure, to be honest with you." Georgetown professor and political commentator Steve Vladeck took a sarcastic tone when he quoted a famously inaccurate speech in the movie "Animal House" meant to inspire drunken frat boys to sabotage a parade. "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?'” he wroteMason, a political commentator and user who self-describes as a veteran and an independent, wrote on X."We just need a Hiroshima or a Nagasaki, right Carlos?" he wrote.BLITZER: How do you explain the disconnect between what the president says and how Americans feel according to almost all of these most recent polls?REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ: Prior to World War 2, 85% of Americans were not in favor of entering that war, and then it all changes pic.twitter.com/iwmzGQStEk— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2026

Jul 22, 2026 - World

A fight erupted on Capitol Hill Wednesday when U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz reported a wounded-troop count that enraged Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). Waltz faced questions about fatalities linked to daily strikes in Iran during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing. Eighteen U.S. service members have been reported killed and 447 wounded — including a third soldier from a July 17 Iranian missile strike in Jordan whose death the Pentagon has not yet formally confirmed, according to KCRA. That death toll hung over the hearing room when Lieu opened his questioning."How many U.S. troops have been wounded in the Iran war?" Lieu asked."My understanding from the Defense Department's latest numbers is over a hundred," Waltz replied."That number is wrong," Lieu fired back.Lieu cited the Defense Casualty Analysis System — the Pentagon's own database tracking casualties for Congress and the president — putting the wounded count at 482. CBS News reported the system has lagged events by days or weeks throughout the war.Lieu then referenced Waltz's previous position as national security adviser, which he lost after accidentally adding The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to a Signal chat discussing imminent military strikes."The reason you are here today and in your position is because you were fired by the president from your former position as national security adviser," Lieu said."The president never said a negative word about me!" Waltz shot back.Lieu moved on to the war itself. Trump declared on March 16 that Iran's military was "literally obliterated," according to PolitiFact. Lieu wanted to know how that squared with the body count."You need to explain to the American people how an Iranian military that's been purportedly obliterated killed 18 U.S. service members and wounded 482 U.S. service members," Lieu said."The Iranian Navy, Air Force, air defense system, and industrial capacity have been massively damaged, if not completely ineffective," Waltz replied."[U.S. troops] are exposed right now in the Middle East — repeatedly being exposed to Iranian missiles!" Lieu pressed. "You should be ashamed! You don't know basic facts!" "Because it's not our problem!" Waltz replied."You should resign! You don't even care about the number of U.S. troops that were wounded!" Lieu said.A Republican colleague moved to have Lieu's words stricken from the record, calling him out for dishonoring "the distinguished ambassador.""He lied to Congress!" Lieu said. "November is coming for you and this administration!"

Jul 22, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump's response to the deaths of four soldiers killed in the Iran war stunned the nation Wednesday. Trump delivered his disturbing commentary on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland before departing to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the dignified transfer to honor the soldiers who lost their lives."All of them said very strongly, 'We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,'" Trump said. "They won't have a nuclear weapon, so we're going to honor them."Outrage erupted almost immediately.Author David Simon told his 65,000 followers on Bluesky he felt Trump had disrespected the fallen troops."It's one thing to honor the sacrifice of fallen service members. And it's common rhetoric to declare that they died for a worthy cause," Simon wrote. "It's the Platonic ideal of malignant narcissism to just stand there shamelessly and put words into their dead mouths."Simon was not alone in his fury at Trump's claim. Entrepreneur and former Obama administration official Brandon Friedman responded, "He actually outdid himself today. This is obscene."Sanho Tree, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, argued Trump was effectively "using dead soldiers as sock puppets." Andrew Lawrence, deputy director of rapid response at Media Matters, responded with shock. "Well this is easily the most detestable thing a president has ever said about U.S. troops he had killed," Lawrence wrote.It's one thing to honor the sacrifice of fallen service members. And it's common rhetoric to declare that they died for a worthy cause. It's the Platonic ideal of malignant narcissism to just stand there shamelessly and put words into their dead mouths.[image or embed]— David Simon (@audacityofdespair.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 8:10 AM