Good morning everyone. Lots of news to cover today. The first ever search of Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch is underway, a place where Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell abused children. At the same time, tensions with Iran are escalating. Donald Trump has threatened Iran with “death and fury,” Iranian officials have issued threats against Trump, and the United States says today will be the most intense day of strikes inside Iran so far. At the same time, U.S. officials are expressing regret that they did not accept Ukraine’s help earlier on countering Iranian drones.
Meanwhile, our work was featured today in USA Today, which profiled my journey from lawyer to journalist and the work I’ve done over the past seven years to define myself independently while building this media platform. Read it here.
Here’s the news:
- The New Mexico Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies searched Zorro Ranch, formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein, as part of a criminal investigation into alleged illegal activities that occurred there before his death in 2019. Authorities asked the public to stay away from the property and avoid flying drones in the area while the investigation is ongoing, and encouraged anyone with information about events at the ranch to contact the NMDOJ. This is the first ever search of the New Mexico ranch where Epstein and Maxwell abused children, and authorities are searching the ranch for possible buried bodies.
- Donald Trump warned that if Iran disrupts oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will strike “twenty times harder” and target infrastructure in ways that could make it nearly impossible for Iran to rebuild as a nation. He framed protecting shipping through the strait as a benefit to countries that rely on the route for energy supplies, including China.
- Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official, issued a thinly veiled threat toward Donald Trump after Trump warned Iran it would be hit “twenty times harder” if it continued blocking oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Larijani said Iranians do not fear Trump’s “hollow threats” and cautioned the U.S. government to “beware, lest you are the ones who are eliminated.”
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the current day would mark the most intense round of American strikes inside Iran since the military campaign began, involving the largest deployment of fighter jets and bombers so far. He made the statement during a Pentagon briefing as part of escalating operations aimed at degrading Iran’s missile systems, naval forces, and other military capabilities.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. takes reports of a strike near an Iranian school very seriously and will thoroughly investigate the incident amid evidence suggesting an American missile may have hit the area and killed many children. He emphasized that investigations take time and cautioned that open-source information alone is not sufficient to determine exactly what happened.
- Jennifer Griffin said during a discussion with Bret Baier that evidence strongly suggests a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck the area near the Iranian school, contradicting claims that Iran may have misfired a weapon. Griffin said there is no evidence Iran launched anything at the school and pointed to satellite imagery and analysis indicating the strike was likely carried out by the United States, adding that the president likely knows this.
- John Kennedy, a Republican U.S. senator, expressed regret over the bombing of a girls’ primary school in Iran during the opening day of Operation Epic Fury that reportedly killed about 175 children. He spoke to NBC News and called the strike “a mistake,” said the U.S. would never intentionally target civilians, and added that the Department of Defense is investigating the incident while apologizing for the loss of life.
- According to Axios, U.S. officials have acknowledged a significant tactical miscalculation in dismissing Ukraine’s offer last year to share its battle-tested technology for intercepting Iranian Shahed drones. The decision is now viewed with regret after Iranian drone attacks killed seven U.S. service members and forced the U.S. to reverse course and seek Ukrainian help, with officials conceding the technology likely would have helped if adopted earlier.
- Lindsey Graham said he will return to South Carolina and ask residents to support sending their sons and daughters to serve in the Middle East, signaling support for continued U.S. military involvement in the conflict.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military’s resolve in the conflict is “endless,” but emphasized that the war itself is not intended to be open-ended. He said Donald Trump has set clear objectives for the operation and that the administration aims to avoid a prolonged conflict or “mission creep,” with the president ultimately deciding when those goals have been achieved.
- Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco, warned the ongoing conflict could have “catastrophic consequences” for the global economy if disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue. With roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply normally passing through the strait, the fighting has effectively shut the route, creating what Nasser called the region’s biggest oil and gas crisis to date.
- According to Politico, rising oil and gas prices linked to the war with Iran are fueling concern among Republicans that higher energy costs could hurt voters’ finances and overshadow the economic benefits of recent GOP tax cuts ahead of the midterms. Some lawmakers warned that gasoline prices, already up sharply, are politically sensitive and could erase gains for lower-income Americans if the disruption to global oil supplies continues.
- Donald Trump told House Republicans that passing the SAVE America Act, a GOP-backed elections bill requiring stricter citizenship and photo ID rules for voting, should be their “No. 1 priority” ahead of the midterm elections. He urged lawmakers to expand the legislation with provisions restricting mail voting and addressing transgender issues, saying Republicans should prioritize the bill even if it means delaying other parts of their legislative agenda.
- Reuters has confirmed that Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, criticized the United States and South Korea for continuing their joint Freedom Shield military exercises and warned that any threat to North Korea would bring “terrible consequences.” She said the drills undermine regional stability during a period of escalating global conflicts and vowed that North Korea would continue strengthening its military and nuclear deterrence in response.
- Friedrich Merz faces growing political pressure in Germany after his coalition government suffered electoral setbacks and rising public anxiety over the economy and global conflicts, including the wars in Iran and Ukraine. Divisions within the coalition are deepening over economic policy and Germany’s support for U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, with some leaders arguing the conflict “is not our war.”
See you soon.
— Aaron
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