Ukraine War Map Shows Two Battalions at Risk of Encirclement: 'Alarming'

"A new map appears to show Russian forces closing in on Ukraine's positions in the heart of fighting in the country's Donetsk region, as Ukrainian sources sound the alarm over Russia's advances on the eastern front.
Popular Ukrainian war-tracking blog, DeepState, said on Tuesday that Russian forces were trying to surround two Ukrainian battalions, belonging to the 31st Mechanized Brigade, west of the Donetsk city of Avdiivka." Newsweek

Giant explosion at Yellowstone sends tourists running for their lives

"The terrifying moment a giant explosion at Yellowstone National Park has been captured by
tourists as they ran for their lives.
Biscuit Basin, located just north of Old Faithful, erupted around 10am MST, sending a massive plume of superheated water and debris shooting into the sky. The National Park Service has closed all access to Biscuit Basin while geologists investigate the event." MS

Iranian Ex-President Ahmadinejad Nearly Killed in Assassination Attempt

"Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after his vehicle was sabotaged, according to a report in Iranian media Wednesday.

The plot was said to involve tampering with Ahmadinejad's car, which his security team discovered just in time to prevent a potentially fatal outcome. On the evening of Monday, July 15, while traveling to Zanjan for the Muharram religious mourning ceremony, the ex-president's chief security officer noticed that the air conditioner in his primary vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser, was malfunctioning, the London-based Iran International TV network reported. He then advised the former president to switch to another car. While in transit, the SUV spun out of control, collided with another vehicle in the convoy, and eventually stopped after hitting another car. Two days before the trip, his security team reportedly sent the Land Cruiser for repairs due to the broken A/C.
However, upon return, the car was seized by "special security agents" and taken to an undisclosed location instead of the usual repair shop, according to the report. Sources told Iran International the vehicle was sabotaged before being returned to Ahmadinejad's security team with the false assurance that the air conditioner had been fixed​​." MS

Russia attacks Swiss humanitarian organization clearing mines in Kharkiv region

"Russians attacked the office of the humanitarian organization FSD, the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action, with a ballistic missile. The missile was targeting the territory of the Kharkiv region, according to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov." MS

Russian strike in Lozova

"A person was killed in Lozova as a result of a Russian strike....... Four people were injured as a result of the missile strike, and the search for two more people is ongoing." ZH

Speaker Johnson rips Kamala Harris for skipping Israeli PM Netanyahu’s speech

"House Speaker Mike Johnson slammed Vice President Kamala Harris’ “unconscionable”

decision to skip Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday. If it stretches another 75 days, Israel’s war with Hamas will reach the grim milestone of Oct. 7, the date of Hamas’ terror attack last year that massacred 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took another 250 hostage.
Only 120 remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip, with a third believed to be dead, according to Israeli officials.
Of the hostages, eight are American citizens — though three have since been confirmed dead." NYP

Ukrainian MPs block podium, demand vote on Moscow Patriarchate Church ban

"Ukrainian Parliament members protested by displaying placards and blocking the podium, demanding a vote on the bill to ban religious organizations affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), European Solidarity party MP Oleksiy Honcharenko reported on Telegram. Further parliamentary sessions were canceled, with the next meeting scheduled for August. The bill to ban the UOC-M was previously not included in the agenda because the ruling Servant of the People party and former MPs from Opposition Platform — For Life voted against bringing it to the floor." NV

US lawmaker demands proof Biden is alive

"Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has demanded a “proof of life appearance” by

US President Joe Biden as the 81-year-old has not been seen in public since contracting Covid-19 last week.
Boebert’s demand comes after Biden unexpectedly announced via social media on Sunday that he would be dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and would be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to represent the Democratic Party in November. The written announcement sparked concerns over Biden’s health, given that the message wasn’t accompanied by any photos or videos of the president.
In a series of posts on X on Monday, Boebert demanded that Biden provide “proof of life” by 5pm that day, saying the president “needs to get in front of some cameras and discuss if he’s aware that he dropped out.”
“Hiding is completely unacceptable,” Boebert wrote.
Throughout the day, the congresswoman reiterated her demand several times, including in a comment to a post by political activist Charlie Kirk, who reported an unconfirmed rumor he attributed to the Las Vegas police department that Biden may be dead or dying." RT

Russian drones attack Izmail at night - port infrastructure and high-rise building damaged

"As a result of a nighttime massive attack by Shahed-type kamikaze drones in the city of Izmail, Odesa region, the port infrastructure was damaged, and a five-story residential building was hit." Ukrin

Putin stages Yars missile capable of hitting targets 7,500 miles away

"Yars missiles are six times more powerful than the nuke dropped on Hiroshima Vladimir Putin has staged nuclear war drills for the second time this month as he seeks to ramp up fears of the West in his population. The Russian leader ordered a show of atomic firepower as he sent his hulking Yars mobile missile launchers into the forests of the Volga River basin in east Moscow to practice unleashing intercontinental Armageddon." MS