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Ahmadinejad and MossadInside Israel’s Secret Operation to Cultivate Ahmadinejad
The yearslong effort to groom the former Iranian president as an intelligence asset culminated in a dramatic effort to take him to a Mossad safe house in Iran in the early days of the war. But the plan fell apart.
NYT:
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Old habits die hardJapan's upper house of parliament has voted to pass controversial revisions to a law governing who can inherit the throne in the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, just days after the lower house of parliament voted it through.
The revision's stated aim is to secure the number of imperial family members, and maintain their public duties and activities, as the family's ranks dwindle and age.
But to critics, the revision has another "very clear objective: to prevent the future emergence of a female emperor," says Seiichiro Noboru, a former Japanese diplomat with ties to the imperial family.
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/17/g-s1-133536/japan-law-male-heirs-imperial-throne
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What a great ideaThe US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, this week ordered an annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, which he says will help to maintain military readiness.
But many medical professionals warn it might do nothing of the sort and instead could increase service members’ risk of infertility or lead to other consequences if testosterone is prescribed inappropriately.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/18/us-military-testosterone-screening-doctors
On a related note....
Retired Adm James Stavridis, former supreme Allied commander, on the testosterone testing (on Smerconish this morning):
But let's back up, Michael, does it make sense? I don't think so. When I look at the needs of the 21st century battlefield, sure, you need some big, burly, UFC like guys, maybe on the very front end of things. But who are the -- who are the killers at scale on these battlefields? They're destroyer captains, often women.
They're fighter pilots, often women. They're aircraft carrier commanders. Captains of aircraft carriers, recently, a woman. They are cyber warriors. They are drone warriors.
Believe me, Ukrainian women have probably put more Russians in their graves than you can imagine. So when I look at the 21st century battlefield, I'm not sure all of those women who are by definition Low T individuals are the problem. And I think testing everybody and then offering testosterone supplements doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If you want to do something smart medically for the force, go back to requiring flu shots, which were taken away by Secretary Hegseth.
https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/smer/date/2026-07-18/segment/01
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Roger Bannister gives a thumbs upJosh Kerr makes athletics history by shattering one-mile world record in London
Time of 3min 42.66sec betters El Guerrouj in 1999 by 0.47
Kerr becomes seventh British man to hold record
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