More than two decades ago, as a Pentagon strategist during the run-up to the Iraq War in 2003, I found myself asking a question that received far less attention than troop movements, air strikes or invasion plans: What happens after the initial victory? Military planners focused on defeating Saddam Hussein's regime. I remained concerned about what would follow. Even with access to senior-level planning discussions and classified assessments, I believed too many assumptions were being made about the peace that was supposed to emerge after the fighting stopped. That same question returned to me Sunday when President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States and Iran had reached a memorandum of understanding to end nearly four months of war and that he was authorizing the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the U.S. naval blockade. A formal signing ceremony is set for Friday, June 19, in Geneva, with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif serving as host. The guns are falling silent. Diplomats are returning to the table. Oil futures dropped 4% and equity markets rallied on the news. Those developments should not be dismissed. WHAT COMES NEXT IN THE IRAN WAR? WHAT THIS CEASEFIRE WILL AND WON'T DO But history teaches us that ending a war and securing a durable peace are not the same thing. Trump deserves credit for bringing this conflict to this point. He was scheduled to arrive in Evian-les-Bains today, June 15, for the G7 summit running June 15- 17 with genuine momentum. Last year he left the G7 in Canada early because of the growing conflict. This year he arrives having announced its tentative end. TRUMP IS REALIGNING WORLD ENERGY MARKETS AND THE IRAN STRIKES ARE ACTUALLY HELPING The economic stakes were severe. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since late February, strangling roughly 20% of global petroleum supplies, some 20 million barrels per day. U.S. inflation reached 4.2% in May, the highest level in three years, driven almost entirely by the energy shock Iran's closure produced. The International Maritime Organization confirmed at least 46 attacks on international shipping in and around Hormuz since the conflict began. Reopening the strait is the most immediate economic relief available. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he welcomed the agreement reached and that it must be implemented "with determination." He stressed, "The Strait of Hormuz must be opened to free navigation permanently and without any restrictions" and said Iran must "verifiably" discontinue its military nuclear plans. Even allies who questioned the military campaign cannot credibly dismiss what has been accomplished. Trump has scheduled bilateral meetings at the G7 with Macron and with leaders from Egypt, Qatar, the UAE and India, the regional partners whose quiet cooperation made this agreement possible. Qatar and Pakistan served as primary mediators; Saudi Arabia provided critical support. That coalition is a genuine diplomatic achievement. Yet Americans should view this agreement for precisely what it is: a strategic pause. TRUMP’S IRAN WAR NOW COMES DOWN TO ONE BRUTAL QUESTION: WHAT COMES NEXT? That is not a criticism. A strategic pause may be exactly what is needed at this moment. But a pause is not a solution. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extends the ceasefire for 60 days, including in Lebanon, during which nuclear negotiations are to be conducted. A senior administration official confirmed that Iran has committed "indefinitely to never procure or develop nuclear weapons," a pledge that, if verified and enforced, would exceed what the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ever achieved. Sanctions relief is tied to compliance. Those terms, on paper, are strong. The ink was barely dry before contradictions surfaced. Iranian state media contradicted U.S. officials on the Hormuz terms, claiming Iran retains the right to charge transit fees. The international shipping industry warned it "still considers it very risky for ships to commence transits" through the strait despite the announced deal. The actual MOU text has been closely held; European allies told CNN they are working from diplomatic conversations rather than the document itself. NETANYAHU'S ISRAEL GRAPPLES WITH TRUMP-IRAN DEAL AS DETAILS REMAIN UNCLEAR The Lebanon dimension is the most immediate complication. Israel was not party to the negotiations. Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday the IDF will not withdraw from Lebanon, Syria or Gaza under any deal terms, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told Trump directly that Israel does not consider itself bound by the Lebanon provisions. Hezbollah fired drones into northern Israel on Sunday even as the deal was announced. The agreement does not resolve the crisis. It pauses the crisis and creates an opportunity to resolve it. ANY NEW IRAN DEAL SHOULD BE JUDGED BY RESULTS, NOT VICTORY-LAP RHETORIC What should Americans watch? First, does Hormuz remain genuinely open, not simply unblockaded, but trusted by commercial shipping and transited by tankers at normal volume? Iran's contradictory statements on tolls, the need to clear mines, and the shipping industry's stated reluctance to resume transits all suggest the reopening will be contested. Second, does Iran accept verifiable, permanent limits on its nuclear activities, confirmed decommissioning of enrichment infrastructure and full inspector access? Trump said Saturday the deal would eliminate Iran's enriched uranium stockpile. His Sunday announcement omitted any reference to the nuclear program. That gap matters. MARK LEVIN: DEAL OR NO DEAL? Third, does regional violence actually decline, or does it migrate from one front to another? Israel's stated refusal to honor the Lebanon provisions is the kind of discrepancy that has collapsed agreements before. Fourth, does this agreement survive the 60-day window and produce a second, binding accord? Many ceasefires endure for weeks. Far fewer produce lasting settlements. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which Tehran ultimately subverted, is the relevant precedent. Hope is appropriate. Naïveté is not. MORNING GLORY: WHAT WILL DONALD TRUMP'S LEGACY BE AS A WARTIME PRESIDENT? Success is not measured by a signing ceremony in Geneva, favorable market reactions, or a post on Truth Social. Success is measured by whether the underlying causes of the conflict are addressed in ways that reduce the likelihood of a future war. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION As I learned during years in the Pentagon, military campaigns can achieve remarkable results. The harder challenge is always securing the peace that follows. President Dwight D. Eisenhower understood this after the Korean War. We learned it painfully after taking Baghdad in April. President Trump may ultimately look back on this agreement as one of his most significant foreign policy achievements. I genuinely hope he can. He was set to arrive at the G7 today with the wind at his back. The question that will define his legacy is not whether he ended the shooting. It is whether the architecture built in these next 60 days proves stronger than Tehran's ambitions, Israel's independent judgment, and the region's long history of swallowing diplomatic frameworks whole. The shooting may be stopping. The real test is only beginning. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT MAGINNIS View the full article

We have reached the end of the road with the NBA and NHL seasons as both concluded in the past two days, which means we have nothing but baseball for the next few months in terms of the big four sports. However, we still have WNBA and World Cup action to give some attention to as well as golf and UFC. There are always a bevy of options, but baseball will most likely take center stage for me. Tonight, we have the San Diego Padres taking on the St. Louis Cardinals. The Padres have a winning record, but still remain one of the most confusing teams in baseball. They are always looking to make a splash via the trade deadline or in free agency, but it just doesn't ever seem to be exactly what is needed to field a full-fledged winner. They are 37-33 for the season and do have a winning road record. So, something is going correctly, but we know they are looking for a Wild Card berth and then hoping they can get lucky in the playoffs. Instead of looking ahead, let's look at who they have on the hill today. That would be Lucas Giolito. He is 2-1 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. This will be just his sixth start of the season, and he has allowed a different amount of earned runs in each of his outings. He has allowed 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 earned runs. So does that mean he will allow five today? Probably not, but it is a quirky thing that I noticed. Cardinals hitters are just 1-for-14 against him, but obviously that sample size is a bit too small to depend on. The Cardinals were supposed to take a year off from being good. They've taken the past few off, but this was one where they fully embraced trying to rebuild the club. Instead, they've found a lot of success from journeymen and youngsters. They are 38-31, and could consider bolstering the team at the deadline if they want to give them a true postseason shot. I think it would be hard for them to win a playoff spot with the roster they have at the moment, but they've proved me wrong so far, so there is no reason not to believe in them moving forward. The main concern I have is that their pitching just isn't that good. They aren't exactly terrible by any means, but they don't have a true ace to get them a win when needed. Dustin May takes the ball today, and I do like his stuff, but don't think he will ever be more than a third or fourth starter. May is 4-6 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has allowed 34 earned runs this season with a third of them coming in the first two games. Having pitched for the Dodgers for so long, the Padres have plenty of experience against May. They are batting .237 against him with both Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. having success against him. Even with May pitching well, I think we can see some success coming for the Padres. The weather should be good for tonight with the wind slightly blowing out to right field. The Cardinals are a good squad and have been decent at home, but they are beatable there. May is almost certainly the better pitcher, but I think we can see the Padres get to him today. Give me the Padres to win this game, as I think the line is too much in favor of St. Louis, giving us some value. View the full article

A text about making extra money can feel harmless at first. Maybe it shows up while you are between errands, scrolling on the couch or looking for a way to pad your budget. That is exactly why these scams work. They do not always begin with a wild promise. Often, they start with a simple message about flexible online work. Then the scammer slowly turns curiosity into trust. Rick S. shared this painful warning after reading one of our articles on scams: FAKE JOB INTERVIEW EMAILS INSTALLING HIDDEN CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING MALWARE Rick's story fits a growing scam category often called a task scam, task-optimization scam or crypto job scam. These scams often begin with unexpected texts or WhatsApp messages offering online work. The "job" may involve fake tasks such as app optimization, product boosting, liking content or rating items online. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report A text job scam is a fake employment offer sent by text, WhatsApp, Telegram or social media message. The pitch usually sounds easy. You may be told you can earn money from home by completing simple online tasks. In Rick's case, the supposed work involved uploading apps to help them get more exposure. Scammers often use vague tech terms because they sound legitimate without being easy to verify. Task scams commonly use buzzwords like "optimization tasks" or "product boosting." That vague wording gives the scammer room to keep changing the story. One day, you are doing small tasks. Then you are told you need to deposit crypto to unlock more work, complete a set or withdraw your supposed earnings. The scam often starts with a friendly recruiter. They may claim to represent a real company or a company name that sounds real. That detail matters because a quick online search may not be enough to protect you. Crypto job scammers often pose as employees of legitimate companies. They may contact victims by text, then push the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram or another private messaging app. Next, the scammer gives you access to a website or app that shows your "earnings." At first, you may even be allowed to withdraw a small amount. That early payout makes the whole setup feel legit. Then the trap tightens. You may be told to add your own money to keep working. The fake platform may show a negative balance. A "customer service" contact may tell you that you need to deposit crypto before you can unlock your account. The FBI warns that victims are often hit with a large deposit requirement after they already have money trapped inside the platform. That is the moment many people keep paying. They are not being careless. They are trying to save the money they have already put in. These scams are built to mess with your judgment. The fake dashboard may show commissions climbing. A group chat may include supposed workers bragging about payouts. A fake customer service rep may sound calm, professional and helpful. Scammers sometimes invite hesitant victims into group chats filled with fake success stories. The goal is simple: make you feel like everyone else understands the system and you are the only one holding back. That pressure can make a smart person second-guess their gut. It can also create embarrassment, which helps scammers. If victims feel ashamed, they may wait longer to tell someone or report it. Rick's comment is valuable because it cuts through that shame. He did what many people would do. He researched. He stayed skeptical at first. He still got pulled in. GOT A BANK TRANSFER ALERT TEXT? IT MIGHT BE A SCAM; HERE’S WHAT TO DO Crypto adds speed and distance. Once you send cryptocurrency to a scammer's wallet, it can be extremely difficult to recover. That is why scammers love it. The FTC says crypto has become the payment method of choice in many task scams. Job scam losses involving cryptocurrency have surged, according to FTC data. The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report also shows how costly crypto fraud has become. Americans who filed cryptocurrency-related complaints reported more than $11 billion in losses in 2025. Rick's story includes several warning signs that everyone should know. The first is the unexpected text. Real companies rarely recruit strangers by random text for easy online work. The second is the vague job description. "Upload apps," "optimize apps," and "boost exposure" may sound tech-related, but a real employer should explain the work clearly. The third is crypto. A legitimate employer should not require you to use crypto to get paid, unlock tasks or access earnings. Another warning sign is the idea that the more you put in, the more you can earn. The FBI lists this as a common feature of cryptocurrency job scams. If this happened to you, stop sending money immediately. Do not pay a "fee," "tax," "unlock charge," or "recovery deposit." That is often the next stage of the scam. Then gather everything. Save screenshots of texts, wallet addresses, usernames, websites, transaction IDs, emails and phone numbers. Document the company or scammer name, contact methods, dates, payment methods, where funds were sent and a detailed description of the interactions. Report the scam to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You should also contact the crypto exchange or wallet service you used. They may not be able to reverse the transfer, but reporting quickly gives you the best chance of getting the transaction flagged. Also, watch out for recovery scams. If someone contacts you claiming they can get your crypto back for a fee, that is another major red flag. FROM FRIENDLY TEXT TO FINANCIAL TRAP: THE NEW SCAM TREND These scams often start with a simple message, so the best defense is to slow things down before you click, reply or send money. If a job offer arrives out of nowhere by text, slow down. Search the company's official website on your own. Do not use links sent by the recruiter. A real job pays you. It does not require you to deposit crypto, buy credits or "recharge" an account before you can collect earnings. Scammers often move conversations to WhatsApp, Telegram or similar apps. That makes the scam feel more personal and harder to trace. A website can show any number the scammer wants you to see. A growing balance on a screen does not mean real money exists. Look up phrases from the message in quotes. Search terms like "app optimization scam," "task scam," "crypto job scam" and the company name. If the recruiter claims to represent a real business, contact that company through its official website. Ask whether the job and recruiter are legitimate. A fake job text may include a link to a bogus website, a fake app download or a malicious attachment. Strong antivirus software can help block dangerous links, phishing pages and malware before they do damage. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com. Scammers can use your name, phone number, address, job history and other personal details to make a fake job pitch sound more believable. A data removal service can help reduce how much of that information is floating around on people-search sites and data broker pages. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com. Before sending any crypto for a job opportunity, pause and ask a trusted friend, family member or financial institution. A five-minute conversation can save thousands. Scammers count on silence. Reporting helps investigators connect wallet addresses, websites and phone numbers to larger fraud networks. Rick's story is a tough reminder that scams can look polished enough to fool careful people. He checked things out and still lost $10,000. That is exactly why these fake job offers are so dangerous. They mix hope, pressure, fake proof and crypto into one expensive trap. The safest rule is simple: if a job asks you to send money before you can earn money, walk away. A real paycheck should never start with you paying the employer. Have you ever received a text offering easy online work? If so, what happened? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. View the full article

Missile threats are evolving faster than ever, requiring defense systems that can see, decide, and respond at mission speed. In this video, executives from Lockheed Martin share how Missile Defense is being shaped by next-generation integrated systems, AI-enabled decision support, and open architecture that connects capabilities across land, sea, air, and space. From identifying incoming threats to bringing together decades of experience with emerging technologies, Lockheed Martin is helping advance the future of national security and defend what matters most. View the full article

There are few things in this world more sanctimonious and hypocritical than left-wing sportswriters getting on their faux moral high horse. College professors spend less time lecturing than a typical sportswriter creating fake controversies to criticize. Fake controversies that always tilt against one specific viewpoint and ideology that they are too blinded to understand. The Athletic's Grant Brisbee being a prime example of this phenomenon; someone who has spent zero time even attempting to understand different viewpoints. Different religions. Different perspectives. All while performatively lecturing and demanding everyone agree with his viewpoints. Brisbee is a fan of the San Francisco Giants, and a far-left sportswriter who focuses on baseball. Aren't they all. Unsurprisingly, he wrote an article for his left-wing sports website criticizing the few Giants players who made quiet public statements during the team's "Pride Night." SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PITCHER WRITES BIBLE VERSE ON HAT IN DEFIANCE OF PRIDE NIGHT Some either wrote Bible verses on their caps, with one pitcher, Sam Hentges, refusing to wear the rainbow and black-colored hat at all. For most sane sports fans, that's a reasonable form of "protest." These players have their specific religious views, and have chosen to make those views known. They didn't harm anyone, they didn't call for anyone to be harmed, or excluded, they put Bible verses on their hats, or wore the same hat that they wear 161 games per year. For Brisbee, however? This was an outrage. Because he doesn't agree with them. "... This was another tone-deaf response to what should have been a moment for community unity," he wrote. "They made the night about 'us versus them.' That’s the only thing they could see." DODGERS BREAK OUT ANNUAL PRIDE NIGHT HATS, DRAWING BRUTAL REACTIONS This is, ironically, exactly what people like Brisbee do. They make statements that must be accepted, or create exclusion. He continues by saying that these games "reduce suffering in a very real way." Which is, of course, absurd. "Some of that progress was made when events like Pride Night became commonplace, reminding the world of a community’s existence, strength and humanity. Events like Pride Night reduce suffering in a very real way. To suggest they don’t is to ignore the humanity of the individuals involved." That is...insane. It's beyond insane, it's idiotic to a degree that defies comprehension. People "suffer" from things every day. Giants fans lose their jobs, heck, Giants players lose their jobs, every single day. Is it a baseball team's responsibility to coddle everyone who's ever faced difficulty in their lives? Should the Giants have nights to recognize those who've lost loved ones? Or failed a class? Or got into a severe car crash and dealt with a lengthy recovery? Those people are all worthy of "support" and "humanity" and "love," yet somehow they can attend Giants games without requiring a night devoted exclusively to reducing their suffering. Do these same suffering individuals not go to any of the other Giants home games where the team doesn't wear "Pride" hats? Are they not welcome at the stadium? Of course not. Christians are often not celebrated on a specific night, are they not welcome? Do the Giants not care about their suffering? Brisbee, though, can't defend Pride Night as a supposedly non-political event without making it about "suffering," which makes his arguments and defenses immediately absurd. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Not to mention that it's obvious Brisbee would never level these same criticisms at say, a Muslim baseball player who refused to wear the Pride hat. Just the Christian players. Nor would he support if non-Christian players were made to wear hats with symbolism that differed from their views. A quick search of Brisbee's writing history shows no criticism of the Washington Nationals for one of their employees proudly admitting that the organization wouldn't feature pitcher Trevor Williams on the team's social media accounts because he criticized the Los Angeles Dodgers for honoring a drag queen group that mocks Christians. Nor did Brisbee seem to care about that embarrassment, even though it offended millions of people and demonized and excluded others. A cause he's now so passionate about. Landon Roupp, one of the protesting players, said this after the game, "There's no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for, and what I stand in. I believe in God." Imagine believing that this message is so destructive to grown adult baseball fans that they simply can't handle it. In this free country, those like Brisbee want to compel speech from those with deeply held religious beliefs. There's nothing more anti-American and unsupportive than that. "It is a choice to ignore that on a night dedicated to people who need others on their side. Do better. That’s the only thing we’re all supposed to do around here, anyway. Do better," he lectures. One could ask Brisbee to do the same. Do better to accept those with different views. Do better to understand that not everyone agrees with him. Do better to be a good and kind human that accepts and tolerates people whose religious beliefs conflict with his ideology. But of course, he's not capable of doing better in that direction, because the "tolerant" hypocritical sportswriter is the most exclusionary. View the full article