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The Band Perry’s Neil Perry accuses sister Kimberly of firing him from band in favor of her husband
The Band Perry’s Neil Perry accuses sister Kimberly of firing him from band in favor of her husband
US Embassies Across Mideast Are Permanently Reassigning Personnel
It is not just America's military bases in the Middle East which have been greatly reduced in terms of personnel or in some cases completely abandoned altogether due to the Iran war, but US Embassies in the region have also suffered forced downgrades of staff.
Iran's retaliation on US locations and assets across the region was much bigger and more effective than US planners apparently expected, and this could have lasting impact on how US military and diplomatic deployments operate in the region.
In some cases, such as the US Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone, diplomatic compounds have been directly targeted by Iranian fire or that their proxies. And now, "The State Department is asking US embassies in the Middle East to create plans to continue operating with a small number of staff on the ground, sources told CNN, as the war with Iran shows no signs of resolution."
US Embassy in Amman, Jordan. via XinhuaOne aspect to the report which points to a likely permanent new arrangement is that embassy staff that had been relocated due to the war are now being offered reassignments.
CNN continues, "Additionally, personnel who have been displaced from their posts in the Middle East are increasingly being given the option to curtail their assignments, the sources said.
"The plans have not been finalized, the sources said, and it is unclear if they will be implemented at all of the embassies that are currently on reduced staffing," the report adds.
Importantly, it concludes: "Still, the developments underscore that the State Department does not expect to return to normal staffing in the region soon amid the looming threat of a full-scale return to war."
What's more is that throughout the most intense phase of the war, the Iranians claimed to have targeted compounds and hotels where diplomats and even intelligence officials were being housed.
The fact that the US State Department remains worried enough to now be hatching plans for an at least semi-permanent drawdown from these locations suggest this Iranian targeting was effective to some extent. Currently, most of the US embassies across the region are shuttered for their normal operations. For example, the US Embassy in Jordan has ceased from normal operations for several months, stretching back to the very start of Operation Epic Fury, the bulk of its staff having long ago departed.
Recent NY Times reporting underscores that Iranian missiles are technologically advanced enough to punch through US regional anti-air defenses. This has especially been on display in Jordan:
During five intense days last month, Iran launched waves of drones and missiles at U.S. troops on three bases in Jordan, hoping to break through the formidable American air defenses.
Using advanced missiles that can suddenly change course, Iran pummeled the bases’ defensive systems, forcing the Americans to burn through scarce supplies of Patriot interceptors.
On the fifth day, the Iranians broke through.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other US officials have lately admitted that Iranian missiles have evaded America's air defenses:
A missile struck prefabricated housing units at one of the bases on July 17, killing three U.S. soldiers and wounding more than 100. Pentagon officials later acknowledged that scores of other troops were injured and several aircraft damaged in attacks in Jordan that week.
“We shot down almost all the missiles,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said when asked about the fatal attack. “One leaked through.”
The strikes reveal a deadly confluence of two important trends: First, Iran has become a more skilled adversary as the war has progressed, learning how to evade U.S. air defenses as it widened the battlefield to include most of the Middle East and enlisted allies like the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq.
Second, the Pentagon’s supply of interceptors has quickly dwindled, with the weapons becoming more precious each day of the off-and-on conflict.
"The Iranian debasification campaign appears to be working.
The US force in the region is likely incapable of generating the same combat power in its air operations against Iran as it could when the war started, and things are trending ever further in a negative direction.…
Interestingly, the NY Times concludes something that should have been glaringly obvious. It has even been predicted in Pentagon and US intelligence war-gaming exercises from years ago...
"The two trends drive home a point that has slowly emerged in the months since the war started, that a global superpower with a mighty military footprint can still be held at bay by a lesser adversary willing to wage asymmetric warfare to find any advantage it can," The Times writes. Once also could have just looked at the 'forever wars' in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Left-Wing German Parties Pour Record Sums Into Stopping The AfD In The East
Germany’s Green Party is campaigning with record sums of money in the eastern German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to keep the Alternative for Germany (AfD) out of power.
Remarkably, the Greens are campaigning with an intensity usually reserved for a national election, despite the party’s own election chances appearing rather dismal. In fact, in both states, the Greens are under threat of not even making it into parliament.
Saxony-Anhalt is by far the most important election, as there is a realistic chance that the AfD alone will obtain an absolute majority, thereby capturing the first real position of power in its history. In such a scenario, the parties of the German mainstream will be forced to cooperate with it.
Voters will choose their state legislatures, known as the Landtags, in close succession on Sept. 6 and Sept. 20, with the Greens campaigning on the slogan: “5% for the Greens in the Landtag – 0% AfD government.”
Sonntagsfrage zur Landtagswahl in Sachsen-Anhalt • INSA/BILD: AfD 42 % | CDU 22 % | DIE LINKE 13 % | SPD 6 % | BSW 5 % | FDP 4 % | GRÜNE 4 % | Sonstige 4 %
➤ Verlauf: https://t.co/lMOn56cNLK
🗓️ Landtagswahl: 6. September 2026 #ltwlsa #ltwst pic.twitter.com/SHYaagXPWm
The math of the campaign is simple. If the Greens achieve 5 percent of the vote, it drastically reduces the chances of the AfD obtaining an absolute majority. Parties that score 5 percent are able to enter parliament, and the more parties that enter, the higher the AfD must score to obtain an absolute majority. Currently, the AfD has approximately 42 percent of the vote.
Right now, the Greens are under threat of being kicked out of parliament, as polling shows them consistently below the 5 percent threshold. In the last East German elections in 2024, in Thuringia and Brandenburg, the Greens were kicked out of the local Landtags; in Saxony, they just barely squeaked in. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the 5 percent entry threshold was not even exceeded in the previous elections.
How much money is at stake?In Saxony-Anhalt, the state campaign budget of the Greens now equals €1.5 million, which is the highest budget in the history of the provincial party organization, more than double the previous record, according to German newspaper Welt. Only 40 percent of this sum comes from donations.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the budget is a more modest €800,000 — more than double what was originally planned for in December 2025. In addition to subsidies, the surplus was provided by subsidies from other provincial party organizations.
By comparison, the far larger leading ruling party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), is campaigning in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with about a million euros.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is preparing to defend its title under the leadership of Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig, will campaign with €1.1 million, which is the same as the 2021 budget, but more donations will flow there than before.
As a result, the ruling SPD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will be campaigning with less money than the Greens fighting for parliamentary entry in Saxony-Anhalt.
The budget of the Left Party has also jumped significantly. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party is also running for election with a record amount of €600,000, and in Saxony-Anhalt they are also running with a record high of €562,000. In both states, the party reports increased willingness among individuals to vote.
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GOA Members Make History With First Suppressor Transfers Without NFA Registration Since 1934
Gun Owners of America (GOA), along with lead plaintiff Silencer Shop, made history tonight as GOA members Brandon Herrera and Wes Virdell lawfully acquired suppressors without complying with the currently enjoined registration requirements of the National Firearms Act of 1934.
The transfers took place at Silencer Shop's new storefront in Leander, Texas immediately after midnight on August 13th. Representative Andrew Clyde (GA-09) and GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt were also in attendance.
Remember: GOA and our allies are proceeding with this transfer after consulting legal counsel and making an informed decision.
If you plan to do the same, consult your own attorney first to ensure you’re complying with all other applicable laws. https://t.co/GiCLcC2PgO
GOA spearheaded the repeal of a 1934 law regulating suppressors and short-barreled firearms in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That milestone would not have been possible without Congressman Clyde's tireless efforts to dismantle the NFA and President Trump's signature. The passage of this GOA-backed provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act paved the way for GOA's One Big Beautiful Lawsuit which has now culminated in a federal court order currently enjoining ATF enforcement of NFA registration requirements for suppressors and short-barreled firearms, and "any other weapons."
Previously, GOA, Silencer Shop, Herrera, and Virdell formally notified the Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives of their intent to complete the transfers without NFA registration. Because the ATF did not object, Silencer Shop transferred the unregistered suppressors to Herrera and Virdell in accordance with all other applicable federal and state laws.
This marks the first time since the NFA was enacted on June 26, 1934, that Americans can lawfully acquire suppressors without complying with the federal registration scheme. Our victory went into effect at 12:01 A.M. CT and we notified ATF and DOJ that we intended to conduct the first unregistered suppressor transfer in 92 years.
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement:
"GOA fought to crush the NFA's unconstitutional restrictions through the One Big Beautiful Bill, but we didn't stop there. We promised to keep fighting until these restrictions were gone, and now our members are putting the historic victory into action. The era of federal registration for constitutionally protected arms must end."
Brandon Herrera, Candidate for Texas Congressional District 23, issued the following statement:
"I'm happy to once again be working with Gun Owners of America to help be the tip of the spear fighting for gun owners, constitutional rights, and civil rights of not only Texans, but all Americans."
Dave Matheny, Founder and CEO of Silencer Shop, issued the following statement:
"We couldn't be more excited for our customers, dealers, and the future of the Second Amendment. This is a huge victory, but we still have a long way to go; and Silencer Shop will continue to lead the way along-side GOA, FRAC, ASA, Silencer Shop Foundation, and the many other groups who are working to unwind the NFA. We're truly humbled to be part of such a monumental event."
Lauren Spivey, CEO of Silencer Shop Foundation, issued the following statement:
"This win belongs to the people and customers who made it possible. The Silencer Shop Foundation is funded entirely by supporters who believe law-abiding Americans deserve to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and their support let us take this fight to the ATF and win a strong ruling from the court. We're proud of what we've done together, and we'll keep working to ensure all lawful Americans are protected under this ruling."
Jamin McCallum, Founder and CEO of Palmetto State Armory, issued the following statement:
"Today marks more than the first NFA-free suppressor transfer under this injunction, it marks the moment years of fighting became real for the American people. We're proud to have stood alongside Gun Owners of America and others who made this victory possible, and we'll continue fighting to expand freedom and defend the rights of everyday Americans."
Wes Virdell, Member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 53, issued the following statement:
"It's hard to believe we have moved the needle so far. What was once considered unachievable is now a reality, because of Gun Owners of America and Silencer Shop. GOA never gave up the fight to get here. I am grateful to be a part of this history happening right before our very eyes."
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/13/2026 - 01:05