Nearly half of the rapidly growing Muslim population in the United States has a favorable opinion of the terrorist group Hamas, according to a stunning new survey. According to the Pew Research Center poll, a staggering 44% of Muslim Americans expressed a favorable opinion of Hamas. The view is out of step with Americans overall, with an overwhelming 84% of the broader American public viewing the jihadist group negatively. The poll comes as Muslims have gained political power, with New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani becoming one of the most prominent Democrats in the United States. In Michigan, a state where Muslim populations have become the majority in certain pockets such as Dearborn, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is the favorite to be the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate. Both candidates are harsh critics of Israel, where the terrorist group Hamas operates. The poll drops alongside a mountain of sickening evidence exposing the subhuman savagery unleashed by the terror group upon innocent hostages. Since the October 7, 2023 massacre, captives dragged into the dark labyrinth of Gaza had been subjected to a calculated campaign of psychological and physical destruction. A report released in May, “Silenced No More: Sexual Terror Unveiled,” painted a stomach-churning picture of the depravity. Captives were starved in suffocating underground cages, denied medical treatment, and forced to endure systematic, dehumanizing torture designed to break their spirits. Most horrifying of all was the weaponization of “kinocidal” sexual violence — a deliberate, systematic campaign of rape and sexual abuse deployed by Hamas monsters to terrorize and erase families. Family members were forced to perform sexual acts on each other. Other instances occurred where family members were forced to watch as Hamas brutally abused other family members. The report states: Hamas and its collaborators inflicted SGBV (sexual and gender-based violence) in multiple locations, employing recurring patterns of abuse. The Civil Commission identified at least thirteen patterns of abuse across multiple sites, including: 1) Rape, gang rape, and other forms of sexual assaults; 2) Sexual torture, including intentional burning and mutilation; 3) Deliberate shootings to the head, face, and genital area; 4) Killings and executions following or committed in conjunction with SGBV; 5) Postmortem sexual abuse, humiliation, and desecration of bodies; 6) Forced nudity and exposure; 7) Handcuffing, binding, and restraint of victims; 8) Public displaying and parading of women and children; 9) Abduction of mothers and children; 10) SGBV inflicted in the presence or near vicinity of family members; 11) Filming and digital dissemination of SGBV, including use of social media to document, glorify, and amplify the atrocities; 12) Threats of forced marriage; 13) Rape and other forms of sexual violence against boys and men. Firsthand testimonies and forensic evidence confirm that women, men, and children were subjected to brutal, sexualized torture both during the initial cross-border raid and inside the terror tunnels. This systemic degradation wasn’t just a byproduct of war; it was used as an intentional tool of psychological warfare, aiming to permanently shatter the social and familial fabric of the victims. As the public grapples with these horrifying accounts of barbarism, the Pew poll serves as a chilling wake-up call about a group that routinely practiced unspeakable, unadulterated cruelty.

Adding insult to injury after an embarrassing exit from the World Cup this week, the United States Men’s National Team will be forced to share half of the earnings from their run with their counterparts on the Women’s National Team. The men’s team secured $16 million in prize money from FIFA after their run to the World Cup’s round of 16. Despite not playing a single minute of soccer, members of the women’s team will take home just as much money as the men’s team thanks to an “equal pay” agreement put in place by U.S. Soccer back in 2022.  After U.S. Soccer takes 20% of the prize money, the rest will be distributed evenly between the 26 members on each of the rosters of the men’s and the women’s teams, meaning each player will be paid about $246,000. The money won’t be paid out to the women’s team until they qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.  “So you’re telling me the men go out and earn while the women stay at home,” Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro said in reaction to the news.  The “equal pay” agreement was put in place in 2022 after years of complaints by the women’s soccer team, which became known for antics including refusal to respect the National Anthem and stunts targeting President Donald Trump.  That agreement came after a lawsuit from players on the women’s team alleging pay discrimination by the U.S. Soccer Federation. To settle the suit, U.S. Soccer agreed that prize money from the World Cup would be divided evenly among players on both rosters.  Historically, the men’s World Cup competition has generated billions of dollars more in revenue than the women’s World Cup. The 2026 World Cup is expected to bring in over $13 billion in revenue, while the last women’s World Cup in 2023 generated roughly $580 million.  Though the Women’s National Team has had more relative on-the-field success than the men’s team, its on- and off-the-field antics have brought criticism. Several members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team knelt during the national anthem at several matches in 2020 and early 2021, while longtime team captain Megan Rapinoe had previously done so while representing the U.S. in the 2016 Olympics. In 2019, Megan Rapinoe described herself as a “walking protest when it comes to the Trump administration.” “So it’s kind of a good ‘F you’ to any sort of inequality or bad sentiments that the [Trump] administration might have towards people who don’t look exactly like him,” she said in one interview. 

After President Donald Trump’s administration spent weeks touting the Iran deal as a positive development, the agreement has rapidly collapsed. The conflict has clearly shifted back toward direct military escalation, with the Strait of Hormuz as the focal point of the latest round of retaliatory strikes, sanctions pressure, and diplomatic collapse. As previously reported, President Trump declared negotiations with Iran effectively over on Wednesday as he defended overnight U.S. strikes after Tehran violated the ceasefire Tuesday by attacking three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said that American forces launched a new round of strikes on Iran after three tankers were attacked in the waterway. According to Reuters, the U.S. said it hit more than 80 Iranian targets, including air defense systems, command and control centers, radar installations, missile facilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats operating in and around the strait. Iran then attacked U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, which U.S. officials described as another violation of the MOU. In Bahrain, the reported targets included facilities associated with the U.S. Fifth Fleet, while Kuwait reported two ballistic missiles and 13 drones in its airspace. The IRGC claimed it struck 85 U.S. military facilities in the Gulf in response to U.S. strikes, according to AFP, which cited a statement carried by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. The latest exchange cemented the complete collapse of the memorandum of understanding, which had been intended to reduce hostilities while talks continued over Iran’s nuclear program and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Talks had already been on hold during the funeral ceremonies for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which concluded Thursday with his burial in Mashhad. During the six-day mourning period, crowds at the funeral chanted “Death to America,” called for revenge against the United States and Israel, and directed violent chants at President Trump. The funeral ceremonies coincided with a pause in negotiations as public calls for retaliation continued. At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump sharpened his language toward Tehran. Trump said the U.S. would “probably” strike Iran again Wednesday night after Tehran attacked — and he quickly made good on that threat. U.S. forces launched a second round of strikes Wednesday night, continuing into Thursday. In the same exchange, Trump called Iranian leaders “scum” and “sick people” and argued that, if Iran obtained a nuclear weapon, it would use it. Trump also raised the possibility of restoring a blockade, saying that the U.S. may move to reinstate one that would apply only to Iran. The president warned that Iran could respond to that by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The movements of the last several days underscore just how volatile the situation is — and how quickly diplomatic relations can unravel when the Iranian regime is involved.

A massive banner reading “We Will Kill Trump” was carried through the funeral procession for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, the latest in a series of death threats against President Donald Trump displayed during the regime’s state-organized ceremonies. The multi-day funeral ceremonies, which spanned several cities across Iran and Iraq, featured threatening and graphic signs and chants calling for Trump’s assassination. Held under the slogan “We Must Rise,” the Iranian regime sought to project national unity and strength following Khamenei’s death. Among the displays seen throughout the funeral events were posters showing Trump with crosshairs over his face alongside the warning, “There Will Be Blood,” giant banners promising rewards of up to $120 million for his assassination, and a black wall emblazoned with the hashtag “#WeWillKillTrump.” Calls for violence against Trump also came from the funeral stage itself. On July 5, Iranian poet Mohammad Rasouli, serving as the official master of ceremonies before prayer readings, asked the crowd over loudspeakers: “Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive? … Why should we not kill the man who killed our imam? It would be a disgrace if we did not.” Rasouli then led attendees in a chant declaring, “Trump’s murder is our responsibility.”   TEHRAN, IRAN – JULY 4: People bidding farewell to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lying in state in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla (mausoleum) pass by a wall full of graffiti with a written message “We will kill Trump” on July 4, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.  (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images) Other signs targeted prominent Americans, including Israeli-American philanthropist Miriam Adelson, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro, podcaster Laura Loomer, entrepreneur Peter Thiel, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz, beneath the warning: “Sooner or later your heads will roll.” Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 37 years, was killed earlier this year in a joint U.S.-Israeli operation that targeted senior Iranian leadership. His death marked the most significant blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution and triggered vows of revenge from regime officials and supporters. His body reached its final resting place at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on Thursday. Notably absent from the funeral proceedings was Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. According to reports, Mojtaba was injured and disfigured in the same strike that killed his father. He has not been seen or heard in public since he assumed power, though written statements attributed to him have been released. A mourner kicks a wanted banner of US President Donald Trump as people pay their respects at the Grand Mosalla where they gathered to pray for Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the second day of funeral ceremonies in Tehran on July 5, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) The funeral also attracted a number of American activists and influencers who traveled to Tehran to participate in the ceremonies and amplify the regime’s messaging. Among them was social media personality Jackson Hinkle, who used his platform to praise Khamenei and condemn the United States and Israel. Hinkle, who has built a following defending authoritarian governments and Iranian-backed groups, posted videos from Tehran celebrating the regime and meeting with senior Iranian officials. In another video, Hinkle stood on a stage waving a red flag — a symbol often associated with calls for vengeance in Shiite Islam — while leading chants of “Down with Zionists.”   TEHRAN, IRAN – JULY 6: Mourners display a banner that reads Kill Trump during the third day of funeral ceremonies for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 6, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.  (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images) The threats displayed at the funeral come amid growing calls for violence from powerful figures aligned with the Iranian regime. Last month, members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts appeared to endorse the assassination of President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that anyone who gains access to the two leaders is obligated to “send them to hell.” The funeral unfolded as hostilities between Washington and Tehran continued to intensify. Despite the funeral, the United States and Iran exchanged attacks this week, with U.S. forces striking more than 100 Iranian-linked targets while Tehran launched attacks against American military installations throughout the region, including in Jordan.   TEHRAN, IRAN – JULY 4: People hold posters depicting US President Trump and Israeli PM Netanyahu as gather at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla for a farewell ceremony for Iran’s late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 4, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images) On Wednesday, President Trump declared the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding effectively dead after Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz shattered a fragile agreement that had survived only 21 days. “They’re scum. They’re sick people,” Trump said during the NATO summit in Ankara when asked whether the agreement could be salvaged. “These people, they lie, and they cheat.”

Nobel Prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi, who arrived in the United States as a teenage refugee and built one of the world’s most celebrated scientific careers at American universities, is leaving the country for a full-time position in China. Yaghi, who shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has accepted a faculty appointment at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, where he will lead a newly created artificial intelligence research institute focused on accelerating the discovery of advanced materials. The move comes as China continues to aggressively recruit top Western scientists while expanding government investment in scientific research and artificial intelligence, against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s efforts to rein in federal research spending and refocus taxpayer funding. Born in Amman, Jordan, to Palestinian refugee parents, Yaghi spent his childhood in a one-room home without electricity or running water. At age 15, his father sent him to the United States in search of greater opportunity. That opportunity ultimately led to one of the most distinguished careers in modern chemistry. After decades of working and conducting research at American universities, Yaghi joined the University of California, Berkeley, faculty in 2012. He became internationally renowned for pioneering metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs — ultra-porous materials capable of storing gases, capturing carbon dioxide, harvesting drinking water from desert air, and enabling a wide range of industrial and medical applications. His work earned him a share of last year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Richard Robson and Susumu Kitagawa. One of the most widely publicized applications of Yaghi’s research came in 2018, when his Berkeley laboratory successfully demonstrated a passive water-harvesting device capable of pulling clean drinking water directly from desert air. The invention, inspired in part by Yaghi’s childhood experience growing up with limited access to running water, is now moving toward commercialization through one of several American companies he helped found. Despite building his career in the United States, Yaghi has become increasingly critical of the direction of American scientific research. Before receiving his Nobel Prize, Yaghi criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, arguing they threatened America’s ability to attract talented scientists from around the world. More recently, he has expressed concern over reductions in federal research funding and warned that American researchers have not embraced artificial intelligence quickly enough to remain globally competitive. In a recent interview with Scientific American, Yaghi said the current state of U.S. science was “not so encouraging” because of cuts to research grants and declining support from federal science agencies. He also argued that researchers must adopt AI “as a matter of survival of the advanced research system in the U.S.” Tsinghua University announced that Yaghi will head a new institute dedicated to using artificial intelligence to dramatically accelerate the design and synthesis of new materials. University officials said the institute aims to replace years of traditional trial-and-error experimentation with AI-assisted research capable of solving complex scientific problems far more quickly. Speaking during his appointment ceremony, Yaghi said he hopes the institute will develop new materials to address global challenges, including water shortages, carbon neutrality, and sustainable development, while also training a new generation of scientists working at the intersection of chemistry and artificial intelligence. Yaghi’s move reflects China’s broader effort to attract internationally recognized researchers as Beijing seeks to establish itself as the world’s leading scientific power. According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, China’s overall research and development spending surpassed that of the United States in 2024. Chinese universities and government-backed research institutes have increasingly offered generous funding packages, cutting-edge laboratory facilities, and leadership opportunities to scientists from around the world. Researchers say Beijing’s strategy has evolved beyond simply recruiting foreign experts to teach students. Marina Zhang, a science policy researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, told Nature that Yaghi’s appointment suggests China is attempting to build entirely new research models that combine artificial intelligence with advanced materials science rather than merely catching up with Western institutions. Tsinghua officials similarly described Yaghi’s appointment as an effort to bridge scientific disciplines and create technological breakthroughs capable of reshaping future industries. Although Yaghi will now conduct his primary research from Beijing, he is expected to maintain ties to several American companies and nonprofit initiatives that continue developing technologies based on his discoveries. Still, his departure represents one of the highest-profile examples yet of China successfully recruiting a scientist whose career was largely built in the United States. As competition between Washington and Beijing increasingly extends beyond trade and military power into artificial intelligence and advanced technology, Yaghi’s decision underscores a growing battle not only over innovation itself, but over the scientists responsible for creating it.