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Republicans investigating California governor and LA mayor over riots

Comer
© Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesJames Comer, the Chairman of the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
The US House Oversight Committee has accused the two Democrats of "falsely" claiming they had the situation under control.

The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has begun an investigation into riots in California that have followed a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on illegal migrants. Committee members are accusing Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass of inaction and obstructing federal attempts to manage the unrest.

The protests that erupted last week quickly devolved into riots, with participants torching police cars and US flags, blocking highways, and clashing with law enforcement officers. The latter have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, with hundreds of arrests, as well as multiple injuries on both sides reported.

The start of the probe was announced in a press release by the US House Oversight Committee on Friday.

Comment: Cancel the earthquake! For upheaval and destruction, California has Newsom.


Big Bomb

Israel attacks Iran: An open source investigation

Israel Iran Flags
© republicworld.com
On the night of June 12, 2025, Israel launched a wave of attacks against Iran.

Dubbed "Operation Rising Lion," Netanyahu called it a "targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival" and vowed to continue the operation "for as many days as it takes to remove this threat."

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, it was reported that: So, why is this happening? What is the situation now? And where do we go from here?

Let's explore those questions. But please note that this is a developing, breaking news situation and information that was accurate at press time will be out of date soon. As a result, in the spirit of The Corbett Report's ongoing open source investigations, I am exhorting Corbett Report members to log in to corbettreport.com and leave links to up-to-date information in the comments section there.

Thank you for your participation!

Arrow Up

Iran strike heightens tensions in the region as talks with U.S. now in freefall

Nobonyad Square
© Unknownin Nobonyad Square following the Israeli bombing, Tehran • June 13, 2025
Trump is now in a tighter corner than ever about trying to bring peace to the region.

Israel has carried out a "pre-emptive" strike against Iran's military infrastructure - both its nuclear facilities and its ballistic missile installations in a move which has shocked the world, given that it will now raise tensions in the Middle East to a new level.

The move will also raise tensions between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu as the U.S. president has expressly told the Israeli leader not to go ahead with such an attack in the middle of talks between the U.S. and Iran over its nuclear program. Trump pulled out of an agreement between western powers and Iran in his first term as president and has been working on establishing a second deal which is a considerable improvement on the first one, in his view.

The Israel strike now throws a spanner in the works and could draw the U.S. in to a major all-out war with Iran, given America's allegiance to Israel.

Comment: Calculated on Israel's part - a double gain at half the price.


Boat

Secret British plans to 'defeat entire Russian Black Fleet' revealed in leaks

ship on fire
Leaked files reviewed by The Grayzone expose the covert war waged by British intelligence against Russia in the Black Sea, outlining Ukrainian "honey trap" plots along with blueprints for blowing up the Kerch Bridge.

Sensitive documents reviewed by The Grayzone indicate that the United Kingdom is the central architect behind Ukrainian military operations targeting Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Among other explosive findings, the files reveal high-ranking British military and intelligence figures drew up detailed plans to "maximize attrition of [Moscow's] Black Sea Fleet," plotted to blow up the Kerch Bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia with fertilizer bombs, and even devised blueprints for a series of submersibles which would allow Ukrainian divers to plant mines on Russian ships and infrastructure.

Further machinations include an explicit "honey trap" plan which called for establishing a brothel secretly run by British intelligence in Crimea. There, Russian-speaking female Ukrainian agents would ply "drunken sailors" from the Russian navy for information.

The schemes were assembled by Project Alchemy, a secret British military planning cell whose existence was first exposed by The Grayzone.

Comment: Definition of insanity: Doing the same things over again expecting different results.


Star of David

Best of the Web: Israeli strikes on Iran 'completely unprovoked' - Moscow


Comment: This is the strongest Russian statement against Israel we've ever seen...


Vassily Nebenzia
© Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesRussian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia • UN Security Council emergency meeting • June 13, 2025
Attacks on nuclear sites pose global risks and cannot be justified, according to Russia's ambassador to the UN

Russia's envoy to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, has condemned Israel's recent airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, the diplomat said West Jerusalem was acting with impunity, backed by the West.

Israel launched the strikes on uranium enrichment sites in Iran on Friday and killed several senior commanders and scientists in targeted assassination operations, claiming the moves were preemptive steps to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran, which denies pursuing a military nuclear program, responded by launching multiple volleys of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv.

Nebenzia said Israel had apparently intended to sabotage the indirect US-Iran nuclear talks which had been scheduled to resume Sunday. Tehran has declared that the strikes have effectively ended any diplomatic pathway.
"This is a completely unprovoked attack - whatever Israel may claim to the contrary - and it constitutes a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law. Responsibility for all the consequences of these actions rests entirely with the Israeli leadership and those who condone them."

Arrow Up

Russian ruble: The curious case of the world's best-performing currency this year

coins Ben
© Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesA Russian ruble coin with a U.S. dollar bill and a quarter dollar coin in Moscow, on Oct. 10, 2023
  • The Russian ruble has staged a stunning rally in 2025, emerging as the world's top-performing currency so far this year.
  • According to the Bank of America, it has been the best-performing currency since the start of the year.
In the midst of a long-drawn war, declining oil prices, stiff sanctions, and an economy that's on the downhill, Russia's ruble has been rising.

In fact, it is the world's best-performing currency so far this year, according to Bank of America, with gains of over 40%. The ruble's stunning rally in 2025 marks a sharp reversal from the past two years when the currency had depreciated dramatically.

What's powering the Russian currency?

The strength in the ruble has less to do with a sudden jump in foreign investors' confidence than with capital controls and policy tightening, market watchers told CNBC. The weakness in the dollar comes as an added bonus.

Star of David

Flashback Iranian report: Israeli Mossad officer Benjamin Efraim unmasked as ISIS leader in Libya

ISIS soldiers
"There's no God but Yahweh/Israel!"
According to the Libyan authorities, preacher Abu Hafs' real name is Benjamin Efraim, an Israeli national operating in one of Mossad's special units which conduct espionage operations in Arab and Islamic countries.

The Libyan authorities said the Mossad spy has started his career in Libya by leading a 200-member ISIS-affiliated group and moved to Benghazi in disguise as a preacher.

According to them, Abu Hafs had attempted to infiltrate Egypt, adding that the group, under his command, is among the most barbaric terrorist groups which had threatened to export war to Egypt.

Comment: Formerly known as Shianews, the AhlolBayt News Agency (ABNA) seems like a legit news outlet, so this story is likely well-founded and sourced. Bear in mind though that it is based in Iran, so it is also likely informed by 'seeing what it wants to see' concerning Israeli involvement in MENA affairs.


Cult

Flashback Mossad: a sadistic cult of psychopaths

Image
© Unknown
The Mossad assassins could have felt only satisfaction when the news broke that they had succeeded in killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a top Hamas military commander, in Dubai last month.

The Israeli government's refusal to comment on the death has once more gained worldwide publicity for Mossad, its feared intelligence service. Its ruthless assassinations were made famous by the film Munich, which detailed Mossad's attacks on the terrorists who killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Long ago, the agency had established that silence is the most effective way to spread terror among its Arab enemies.

In the past year, al-Mabhouh had moved to the top of Mossad's list of targets, each of which must be legally approved under guidelines laid down over half a century ago by Meir Amit, the most innovative and ruthless director-general of the service. Born in Tiberius, King Herod's favourite city, Amit had established the rules for assassination.

Star of David

Flashback Tel Aviv: Israel's human shield

israel military command center tel aviv
© Dan Balilty for The New York TimesThe Israeli Army’s underground command bunker collects intelligence information from various agencies and uses it to carry out operations.
A look inside Israel's 'Fortress of Zion' military command center beneath the heart of Tel Aviv

The country's military and intelligence commanded the recent assault on Hamas in Gaza from an underground bunker made for high-tech air wars.

It was a little past midnight on Friday, and Israel's Supreme Command Post was racing to complete as many strikes as possible in the final hours before a cease-fire with the Palestinian militant group Hamas was to take effect at 2 a.m.

On a wall covered with huge screens, a three-dimensional diagram of a high-rise building with one of its apartments marked in red popped up. On another screen, a live video from the air circled above a building in Gaza that looked a lot like the one in the diagram.

Comment: The zionists bleat constantly about Hamas using human shields. There is no bottom to Israeli hypocrisy. And now with near-peer adversary Iran raining missiles down in response to Israel's decapitation strike, expect the cries of "Iran has no respect for civilian lives' to reach a screeching crescendo.




Tehran seems to have some new tricks up its sleeve:





Gavel

Appeals court rules Trump can keep National Guard deployed In LA

national guard los angeles immigration riots
© Frederic J. Brown, AFP via Getty ImagesNational Guard soldiers stand in front of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, on June 8, 2025.
A federal appeals court ruled that President Donald Trump could retain control of the California National Guard, blocking a decision from a district court judge ordering Trump to yield power to Governor Gavin Newsom following anti-ICE riots.

The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday night granted an emergency motion from the Trump administration to block a ruling from District Judge Charles Breyer saying Trump violated the law when he ordered the National Guard into Los Angeles. Trump celebrated the decision, saying that the National Guard was to thank for keeping Los Angeles safe.

"The Appeals Court ruled last night that I can use the National Guard to keep our cities, in this case Los Angeles, safe," Trump posted on Truth Social Friday morning. "If I didn't send the Military into Los Angeles, that city would be burning to the ground right now. We saved L.A. Thank you for the Decision!!!"

Comment: Why the National Guard?

Full text:

Stephen Miller calls the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States."

Over 800 rioters TRAPPED DHS agents in a garage, and BREACHED the building, causing mass damage.

NATIONAL GUARD MUST BE DEPLOYED TO THESE SITUATIONS, and people MUST be taken into federal custody.

Or this will get much, much worse.

There is also a Marine presence properly tasked with protecting federal property:

Full text:

A U.S. Marine with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and members of the California National Guard, both attached to Task Force 51, speak to each other in Los Angeles, June 12, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Juan Torres)