Top World News

Jun 18, 2026 - World

Directive aimed at government workers, but reports of wider implementation spark warnings of future Afghanistan-wide prohibitionThe Taliban have ordered a sweeping ban on the use of smartphones by government officials – in what some analysts say could foreshadow broader, population-level restrictions.In a directive issued by the Taliban’s military courts and reviewed by the Guardian, the ban was to take effect this week and prohibits “high rank, low rank, general mujahideen, or service staff” from using mobile phones. Continue reading...

Jun 18, 2026 - World

A MAGA senator was walloped online after he parroted a head-spinning Trump defense of his dubious Iran deal.Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) was asked by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday about Trump's deal to end the war with Iran."Are you okay with Iran having missiles?" Collins asked.Marshall responded, "I prefer that they not, but they have to defend themselves," echoing Trump, who hours earlier defended letting Iran keep its ballistic missiles because "other people have some."Commentators online let Marshall have it for his overt effort to remain in lockstep with Trump."This guy will say whatever Trump says on any given day," Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of the MeidasTouch news network, said. "He has no core beliefs. His political philosophy is whatever position Trump takes today, which may be different from the position Trump had yesterday.""Trump/flunkie Republican senator says Iran has to be able to defend itself," summarized journalist John Harwood."Couldn't we have just come to this conclusion before 13 Americans and thousands of Iranians died for nothing?" asked American Saga writer Zaid Jilani."So America's adversaries need to be able to defend themselves against America for America's sake?" wondered Max Meizlish, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "Got it. Nothing to see here. Nothing weird going on at all."Spanish-language journalist León Krauze described the comments as "surreal." Meanwhile, Pradheep J. Shanker, a doctor and contributor for the National Review, simply wrote, "JFC" to express his frustration.

Jun 18, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump's administration admitted to Congress that Iran was still directly involved in financing terrorist activity, at exactly the same time the president was planning to give them money, Punchbowl News reported on Wednesday.According to the report, the State Department "told Congress that Iran’s oil exports are a primary revenue source for the regime’s funding of terrorist activities — just hours after the United States and Iran electronically signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to lift oil sanctions."This 515-page report, which detailed U.S. efforts against international drug trafficking, indicated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “controls significant portions of the domestic economy.” The report continued that “Iran’s oil and petroleum exports are a primary source of revenue for its armed forces, terrorist partners and proxies. The majority of Iran’s oil transactions are conducted by illicit networks.”All of this follows reporting that a key obstacle to Trump's Iran deal is the difficulty of delisting IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), which is in theory required for the full-scale sanctions relief the administration is promising.Legislation passed by Congress in 2022 about the Ukraine war contained a provision requiring that any U.S. intelligence that Iranian drones were attacking Americans would prohibit the IRGC from being delisted as an FTO for four years. Per Punchbowl's Andrew Desiderio, "Last April, the State Dept formally told Congress that the IRGC had indeed attacked Americans with drones."The memorandum with Iran "also sets up a $300 billion 'reconstruction fund' that many Republicans believe will inevitably be used for terror financing," noted the report, as well as allowing "the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran to direct where much of that funding goes."

Jun 17, 2026 - World

FBI Director Kash Patel's country singer girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, has a new "government gig" planned in Belgium this summer, according to reports on Wednesday.Wilkins will perform the national anthem in Brussels for a "Freedom 250" party featuring a military flyover, thousands of VIP guests, troops and fireworks, reported The Swamp, one of The Daily Beast's Substacks. "The event will be held at Cinquantenaire Park, a sprawling 30-hectare urban park known for its Triumphal Arch, sweeping gardens, and grand museums," according to The Swamp. Not everyone was thrilled about the party. "The Swamp has learned that some locals are already annoyed that a large part of their city is set to be sealed off ahead of the MAGA-fest."Bill White, the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Wilkins's friend, has planned the event.Patel and Wilkins started dating in 2023. It's unclear if Patel, who has been criticized for using his FBI jet to attend the Olympics in Italy and taking secret snorkeling trips in Hawaii, will be there."Which raises two obvious questions: Is Wilkins getting paid— and will Keystone Kash be making the trip?" The Swamp wrote.

Jun 17, 2026 - World

The internet was shocked on Wednesday after President Donald Trump appeared to reverse his stance on Iran having nuclear weapons — a key point he argued for launching the war.The president was boarding Air Force One and heading to Paris when he spoke about Iran's nuclear program. Trump had spent the last several days at the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, with world leaders and discussed the agreement."I'm saying that if other countries have them, it's a little unfair for them not to have some," Trump said.Media and political experts were stunned by the comment and reacted to the remark."Remember, one of their stated aims for the war was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles," Mehdi Hasan, founder and CEO of news outlet Zeteo, wrote on X."That's what Iran has been saying for years," journalist Ray Locker wrote on X."Not the first time he’s said this still," Laurence Norman, reporter for The Wall Street Journal, wrote on X. "Quite a day," Adil Haque, Rutgers Law professor and executive editor of Just Security, wrote on X."And if Israel has nukes?....." Political analyst and writer Yousef Munayyer wrote on X."Quite natural for Trump. He loves seere [SIC] dictatorships & the more autocratic the better in Trump's eyes," economist and author Anders Åslund wrote on X."Just complete surrender on every front," Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, Center for Investigative Reporting and Reveal, wrote on Bluesky."Again, need to say it - if Biden, Obama or any other Democratic President publicly endorsed Iran having ballistic missiles after launching an ill advised war to essentially eliminate Iran's missile launching capabilities - Congress (even a Dem led one) would launch impeachment proceedings next day," Murshed Zaheed, founder and CEO of Pacifica Strategies, wrote on Bluesky.Just complete surrender on every front.[image or embed]— Clara Jeffery (@clarajeffery.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 12:40 PM