Tag: news

Authord by the Institute for Science and International Safety (view PDF)

On July 13, President Trump made it clear that the nuclear-related Pickaxe mountain facility is on the U.S. target list. In an interview on the Hugh Hewitt show, the President stated, “We have eyes on it and Pickaxe mountain is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right in the front door…We’re watching Pickaxe Mountain very closely. We don’t see any activity there.” Trump finished the interview with a more definitive statement: “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ​ready.” The tunnel facility under construction has not been previously targeted in either June 2025 or 2026 war, aside from the destruction of a vehicle on a nearby spoil pile, which we believe was most likely associated with air defense.  Our assessment of satellite imagery to date is that the facility is not yet operational, but construction continues.

This nuclear-related site is south of the Natanz enrichment plant, part of a large perimeter secured site that includes another, smaller tunnel complex, initially built in 2007, which was expanded and hardened in recent years and sealed shortly after the June 2025 war. 

The large mountain harboring the main tunnel complex is called Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, where Kolang translates to Pickaxe, resulting in today’s nickname of the site.  Construction of the Pickaxe mountain facility started in the fall of 2020, and at the time Iran announced that the underground halls were intended to replace the destroyed above-ground advanced centrifuge assembly facility at the main Natanz site. ^[1]  The destroyed site was designed to assemble about 6000 advanced centrifuges per year, a large capacity, sized to produce the tens of thousands of advanced centrifuges during and after the phasing out of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action limits from 2025 through 2030.

The Pickaxe mountain site features two pairs of entrances leading under the ridge of the mountain.  They are assumed to lead to one facility, but this is not guaranteed.  The facility is estimated to be at least 100 meters deep under the mountain.  The mountain has a height of 1608 meters above sea level.  The difference in elevation between the eastern entrance and the mountain ridge is about 145 meters.  The difference in elevation between the western entrance and the ridge is about 100 meters ^[2].  The difference in elevation between the two sets of entrances of about 50 meters could also indicate that the facility has multiple levels. 

The physical defensive measures consist primarily of a large security perimeter and extensive tunnel entrance hardening.  In 2025, Iran started constructing a double (fence and wall) security perimeter with a patrol route surrounding the entire mountain and adjoining the Natanz Nuclear Complex security perimeter.  All four tunnel entrances are excavated in a channel of rock.  Two of the four tunnel portals feature entrance extensions with subsequent hardening. This includes layers of concrete and earth over the tunnel portal entrances.  Since the wars, Iran partially backfilled the pair of eastern tunnel portal entrances to obstruct ground vehicle access but did not seal them fully as previously noted at the 2007 tunnel, the Esfahan tunnel, or the Fordow underground enrichment plant.

It remains unclear when Pickaxe Mountain could be operational, based only on assessments of satellite imagery.  It is also unclear if Iran still plans on installing a large-scale assembly facility, given the destruction of Iran’s centrifuge program, including Iran’s ability to make centrifuge components needed for an assembly plant.  Nonetheless, if Iran starts to rebuild its centrifuge manufacturing capability, it could plan to install a smaller centrifuge assembly facility in Pickaxe Mountain able to serve a nuclear weapons program.  In addition to the originally planned centrifuge assembly plant, the space available under the mountain could be expected to be large enough to also hold a centrifuge enrichment plant capable of producing weapon-grade uranium.  It is likely large enough to also hold certain nuclear weaponization activities such as making weapon-grade uranium metal and shaping it into nuclear weapon components. 

Any operations inevitably have ties to the outside, including via imported equipment, power supply, ventilation, heating, cooling, construction personnel, operating personnel, and deliveries.  All of these connections to the outside present vulnerabilities that the U.S. and Israel would seem to be able to exploit.

The site, in its present condition, would be more suitable for ground forces to attack or sabotage like the destruction of the advanced centrifuge assembly center, which reportedly involved explosives that were brought into the facility during its construction.

However, vulnerabilities may also exist that can be exploited by deep earth penetrating weapons via aerial attacks.  These would be best identified in facility schematics. Schematics for the Pickaxe Mountain facility have not been seen publicly, however, schematics for two other prominent Iranian nuclear tunnel sites, Fordow and Shahid Boroujerdi, have been. These are two tunnel facilities built by Iran’s Amad nuclear weapons program and attacked in June 2025 and March 2026, respectively; both schematics showed ventilation shafts, and both facilities had ventilation shafts directly targeted in aerial attacks, a weak point that allowed greater internal access for earth penetrating weapons. 

In line with the attacks on these two sites, an attack on Pickaxe Mountain could target the above ground incoming power supply lines, the location of ventilation shaft(s) or equipment, and the open tunnel entrances.  The latest imagery from July 9, 2026, shows that the pair of western tunnel entrances remain open, leaving them vulnerable to both precision strike weapons or a ground operation entering the facility via those tunnels.  Air defenses appear easily overcome as was shown by Israel’s very early attacks on the Natanz enrichment complex in June 2025 and two separate attacks in March-April 2025.  Airstrikes targeting solely the hardened tunnel portal entrances, without shockwaves or blast impact affecting the facility, would likely only temporarily deny Iran access and would add Pickaxe mountain to the list of facilities to be watched closely for Iranian attempts to regain access.   

Figure 1 below shows an overview of the site. Figure 2 shows potential ventilation shaft locations. Figure 3 shows the probable ventilation shaft near the Eastern set of tunnel entrances under construction in 2024. 

 

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Canada’s wildfire management policies are once again falling short, as toxic smoke plumes blanket much of the northeastern US and drive air pollution to dangerously high levels. 

Another wave of dense wildfire smoke is forecast to reach New York and New England on Thursday afternoon and evening before it surges into the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday night.

Thick, unhealthy smoke is expected in D.C. on Friday, with some reaching Virginia and North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/ZDqDEYAgQq

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) July 16, 2026

Air quality readings in cities including Detroit, Milwaukee, and Toledo exceeded 500, well above the 300 threshold considered unsafe. Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Toronto also recorded unsafe levels, while conditions in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York deteriorated into unhealthy territory.

BREAKING: Due to Canadian wildfire smoke, Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis now represent 3 of the 4 worst major cities for air quality on the entire planet. pic.twitter.com/zxyqEV2J4w

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 16, 2026

WILDFIRE SMOKE has made its way to Chicago this morning.

The air condition is extremely poor, as seen in this shot near Grant Park. You can see how much smoke has made its way down from the Canadian wildfires.

It’s going to be a tough day when it comes to doing anything… pic.twitter.com/vXByYP8QI8

— Marcus Leshock (@marcusleshock) July 16, 2026

Detroit, Michigan now has the worst air quality of any major city on Earth due to Canadian wildfire smoke.

If exposed to the current air quality in the city for 24 hours, it would be the equivalent to smoking about 21 cigarettes. pic.twitter.com/xijW3eDhf1

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 16, 2026

The haze and wildfire smoke made for some surreal shots this morning on the Bay @FOXBaltimore pic.twitter.com/O8qUyPvPDF

— Alex Parker (@ParkerSports) July 16, 2026

Smoke from the northern Minnesota / Canadian wildfires landing at MSP airport. #mnwx @spann pic.twitter.com/yQu7dtArS8

— Brett LaBare (@1labare) July 16, 2026

At this time of year, smoke from Canadian wildfires usually pours into the US, exposing tens of millions of Americans to dangerous air quality.

The recurring cross-border pollution is Canada’s repeated failure to address wildfire prevention and mitigation adequately.

Blanket of smoke from the Canadian wildfire rolling into Chicago. pic.twitter.com/Ust87p47f8

— Richard Roeper (@RichardERoeper) July 16, 2026

“Canada continues to fail to manage its forests. Controlled burns, thinning and clearing debris would go a long way toward preventing this from happening every summer,” the conservative environmental nonprofit American Conservation Coalition wrote on X. 

Canada continues to fail to manage their forests.

Controlled burns + thinning + clearing debris would go a long way in preventing this from happening every summer. https://t.co/inQwdcONQK

— American Conservation Coalition (@ACC_National) July 16, 2026

It should be investigated whether arson or inadequate forest management has contributed to the wildfire chaos in Canada, which is imposing major health risks on the US. Much of the left-wing media points to climate change, while rarely covering forest management failures.

It has been a brutal year for NFLX longs, who have seen their favorite stock slide in a straight line since last summer, erasing almost 50% from the July 2025 all time high of $134. And unfortunately for them, it appears this brutality isn’t going to end any time soon after the company mangled its Q2 earnings moments ago, reporting mediocre earnings, but more importantly, projecting numbers that missed consensus estimates for both Q3 and and the full year.

First, looking at the historicals, we find results that just barely beat expectations, while US and Canada revenue outright missed.

• EPS 80c, barely beating the est 79c, and up from 72c y/y

• Revenue $12.56 billion, +13% y/y, barely beating the est $12.58 billion
  • US & Canada revenue $5.43 billion, +10% y/y, missing estimate $5.52 billion
  • EMEA revenue $4.03 billion, +14% y/y, matching estimate $4.03 billion
  • Latin America revenue $1.58 billion, +21% y/y, beating estimate $1.51 billion
  • APAC revenue $1.51 billion, +16% y/y, missing estimate $1.53 billion
     
• Operating income $4.19 billion, +11% y/y, beating estimate $4.13 billion
  • Operating margin 33.4% vs. 34.1% y/y, beating estimate 33%
     
• Cash flow from operations $1.74 billion, -28% y/y, missing estimate $2.93 billion
  • Free cash flow $1.53 billion, -33% y/y, badly missing estimate $2.72 billion… maybe they too are building a data center.

While historical were lously at best – it was the company’s projections that spooked the market: the company projected revenue of $12.9 billion in the current quarter and earnings of 82 cents a share, both missing analysts’ expectations. And since most of Wall Street’s attention had been on future performance, this was enough to send the stock plunging.

Q3 forecast

• Sees EPS 82c, missing the estimate 84c 
• Sees revenue $12.86 billion, missing estimate $13 billion
• Sees operating income $4.27 billion, missing estimate $4.36 billion
• Sees operating margin 33.2%, missing estimate 33.5%

Full year forecast 

• Sees revenue $51 billion to $51.4 billion, saw $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion, midpoint missing estimate $51.38 billion
• Sees revenue +13% to +14%, saw +12% to +14%
• Still sees operating margin 31.5%, missing estimate 31.7%
• Still sees free cash flow about $12.5 billion, missing estimate $13.09 billion

Commenting on the quarter, Netflix said it is “building out our ads business continues to be a top priority and we remain on track to deliver approximately $3 billion in ads revenue in 2026.” While the collapse in free cash flow was surprising (and begs the question if NFLX is also building a data center), the company said it is continues to expect annual cash content spend to amortization ratio of ~1.1x.

Commenting on the latest price hike(s)- which now happen every quarter if not every month, the company said that “the results of our recent price changes are consistent with prior changes and our expectations.” That bad, huh?

NFLX also said that it was “leveraging AI to provide a more personalized, immersive and interactive experience for members, enhance ads capabilities for brands, and improve the quality of our series and films.”

Translation: crap content, now with even more slop.

As noted above, NFLX shares have plunged more than 40% over the last year, as the company’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery and subsequent financial results have caused investors to realize that the leader in streaming has lost momentum. While Netflix still has more subscribers and viewership than any other paid streaming service, engagement has fallen off a cliff as growth in sales and hours spent on the service has been slowing.

If that wasn’t enough, Netflix endured a months-long drought of new hits in the first half of the year, during which many returning shows struggled to retain viewers in the new seasons. That dry spell ended with I Will Find You, an adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel, which was Netflix’s most-viewed new original series this year, and frankly, was at best a 4 out of 10. 

Netflix has announced a flurry of new details with popular social media personalities in recent weeks, including YouTube stars Alan Chikin Chow and Nick DiGiovanni, and even touted its use of generative artificial intelligence on about 300 shows.

In other words, it has tried everything and still people are turning off. 

The company sought to reassure restive investors by outlining a plan to sustain growth in the coming years. It is investing in new kinds of programming, such as live sports and video podcasts. Podcasts are attracting more viewers during the day and on mobile devices while live programming has helped attract a lot of customers relative to its actual share of viewing, the company said.

“We are increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost than traditional methods,” the company wrote in its letter to shareholders. Netflix has resumed offering free trials in select markets as a test.

The amount of time people spend on Netflix grew 2% in the first half of 2026, a slight improvement over a year ago. The company said that was good, especially given the competition from the World Cup and Winter Olympics, which aired on other networks. Netflix also said it will now release its What We Watched report on show viewership annually, rather than twice a year.

None of that however is helping as markets look at the continued decline in growth and wonder, when does it end? Clearly not today with the stock plunging to a fresh 21 month low…

…. and set up for the ultimate head and shoulders pattern.

SpaceX is scheduled to launch the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday evening, marking the first mission since the company completed its blockbuster public debut in June, according to ABC News. Liftoff is scheduled from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas, with a 90-minute launch window opening at 6:45 p.m. ET. As always, weather or technical issues could delay the attempt.

The mission will be the second flight of Starship Version 3, a significantly redesigned vehicle that SpaceX believes represents a major leap forward. Charlie Cox, the company’s director of Starship Engineering, described the new spacecraft as “basically a clean-sheet design,” explaining that engineers took the lessons learned from the first two generations and rebuilt the vehicle to address reliability and performance shortcomings.

The launch carries added significance now that SpaceX is a public company. Beyond the engineering milestones, investors will be watching closely because another successful test would reinforce confidence in the company’s long-term plans, while another high-profile setback could weigh on sentiment and potentially pressure the stock.

The ABC News report says that Starship sits at the center of SpaceX’s future. NASA plans to use a modified version of the spacecraft as the lunar lander for future Artemis missions, while SpaceX also intends to use it to rapidly expand its Starlink constellation, support future space-based infrastructure, and eventually carry humans to Mars. Bill Riley, SpaceX’s vice president of Starship Engineering, called Version 3 “the foundational design,” adding that it will ultimately be “the one that puts humans back on the moon” and eventually “the first boot prints and then city on Mars.”

The previous test flight achieved many of its objectives but also exposed several issues. The Super Heavy booster experienced propulsion problems during its return burn, resulting in a hard splashdown and an FAA investigation that has since been closed after regulators accepted SpaceX’s corrective actions. Meanwhile, Starship lost one of its Raptor engines during flight, forcing the company to abandon an attempted in-space engine relight.

Flight 13 will try that engine relight once again, a critical capability needed before Starship can reach orbit and begin deploying operational Starlink satellites. The spacecraft will also attempt to release 20 next-generation Starlink satellites during the mission. Like the previous test, the flight will remain suborbital, traveling from Texas across the Atlantic before splashing down in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy booster is expected to land in the Gulf.

 

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Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness,

Acclaimed British filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s (The Dark Knight, Oppenheimer) newest film, The Odyssey, opens this week in the United States.

But controversy has already surrounded Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s 2,700-year-old epic poem about Odysseus’s 10-year struggle to return home after the Achaian victory in the decade-long Trojan War.

Some of the film’s actresses have suggested that Nolan is offering a more feminist – and long-overdue – take on the ancient poem. Actress Lupita Nyong’o, in particular, has criticized Homer’s purported sexism.

Perhaps her misreading of Homer stems from her admission that, despite receiving degrees from elite Hampshire College and Yale, the 42-year-old actress had never even read the Odyssey until she was cast in the minor dual roles of Helen and her sister Clytemnestra.

The Odyssey was composed orally sometime around 750-700 B.C., contemporaneously with the rise of the Greek city-state. Along with Homer’s other epic, The Iliad, The Odyssey marks the inauguration of Western literature. Over the next three millennia, it came to be recognized as not only the earliest but also one of the most profound works of Western civilization.

Far from being sexist, Homer’s Odyssey offers a timeless and diverse panorama of powerful, independent, and savvy women.

Take Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and queen of Ithaca. Unquestionably loyal to her missing husband, she outsmarts the bloodthirsty suitors who seek to force her into marriage and seize the kingdom through her steadfast courage and cunning.

She confounds them through a series of brilliant ruses, ultimately enabling her husband’s revenge.

Far different, but equally independent and crafty, are the immortal sorceress Circe and the divine nymph Calypso, who both shelter, seduce, and eventually bond with Odysseus. Both ultimately release him to continue his tragic journey home. Together they serve as archetypes of unmarried women who choose to live magical lives on their own sexual, economic, and political terms.

Helen makes a cameo appearance in both the poem and the film. Her beauty is all-powerful and dangerously – even destructively – seductive. It prompts the Trojan boy toy Paris to kidnap her, win her over, and flee back to Troy, setting in motion the decade-long Greek expedition against Troy and the extraordinary effort to bring the beauty home to her cuckolded and vapid husband, King Menelaus of Sparta.

Without the help of the virgin goddess Athena – often regarded as the wisest, most stable, and most humane of the Olympian gods – Odysseus would never have reached home.

By the same token, among the kindest figures in the poem are Odysseus’s loyal nurse, Eurycleia, Penelope’s trusted confidante, and the young, innocent Phaeacian princess Nausicaa, who befriends Odysseus and ensures her parents’ goodwill toward him, eventually securing his safe return to Ithaca.

The monstrous, man-destroying female Scylla and the Sirens are every bit as deadly, but far more astute than the cannibalistic and dimwitted Cyclops Polyphemus.

Far from being sexist, then, The Odyssey offers the earliest – and one of the finest – gallery of capable women in Western literature.

Controversy also arose from Nolan’s casting of Kenyan-Mexican-American actress Lupita Nyong’o as a black Helen, contrary to the Spartan queen’s ethnicity in Homer’s poem.

Cultural appropriation is a heated but often inconsistently applied charge. (When white women wear dreadlocks, that is somehow deemed to be cultural appropriation; black women wearing blond wigs isn’t?)

Yet there is a long history of directors using marquee actors to play characters of different races or ethnicities. British actor Laurence Olivier achieved fame by brilliantly playing Shakespeare’s black Othello. Mexican-American and Irish Anthony Quinn portrayed a stunning Zorba the Greek. Burt Lancaster, Charles Bronson, and Audrey Hepburn all effectively portrayed Native American characters.

In the age of sophisticated makeup and costuming, great actors can believably play almost any role. Problems arise only when a literary or historical figure’s race or gender is so central to the character that it permeates the entire narrative of the film, novel, or poem.

No white actor could play a believable Martin Luther King Jr. or Muhammad Ali. Nor could a black actor be believable as Abraham Lincoln. Nor could a woman realistically play James Bond – Ian Fleming’s womanizing playboy and hypermasculine secret agent 007.

Now, in Nolan’s defense, Helen is a minor figure in both the poem and the film version of the Odyssey. That she was white in the poem and black in the film does not undermine the adaptation of Homer’s poem. But had Lupita Nyong’o perhaps played the key character of Penelope, then the glaring racial disparity might have introduced new and extraneous issues or distracted from the central narrative.

A final note.

The Odyssey is an embodiment of Hellenic culture – and still deeply revered in Greece as an iconic symbol of the ongoing national experience. Given the tradition of brilliant Greek actresses such as Irene Pappas or Melina Mercouri, Nolan might have employed at least one Greek actor or actress in an epic about the indomitable people of Greece.