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BRAVE CHALLENGER Vosper Thornycroft

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A Summary of Motor Yacht BRAVE CHALLENGER

The motor yacht BRAVE CHALLENGER is a 31 m 103 (ft) well proportioned wooden/aluminium frames luxury yacht which was built at Vosper Thornycroft and devised by Peter Du Cane. Accommodating 10 passengers and 6 qualified crew, motor yacht BRAVE CHALLENGER was known by the name Mercury which was her shipyard project name and/or actual name. Finished and launched in 1960 this boat’s internal styling confirms the traditional yacht setting of Prof Pinnau.

The Construction & Yacht Design of Luxury Yacht BRAVE CHALLENGER

Peter Du Cane was the naval architect firm involved in the formal nautical design work for BRAVE CHALLENGER. Her interior design was conceived by Prof Pinnau. Peter Du Cane is also associated with the yacht wider design collaboration for this boat. In 1960 she was actually launched to celebration in Portsmouth and following sea trials and final completion was thereafter passed on to the owner. Vosper Thornycroft completed their new build motor yacht in the United Kingdom. The core hull was constructed with wooden/aluminium frames. The motor yacht superstructure component is fabricated largely from aluminium. With a beam of 7.32 m or 24 feet BRAVE CHALLENGER has reasonable interior. A reasonably shallow draught of 2.23m (7.3ft) determines the amount of worldwide ports she can enter into, contingent on their minimum characteristics. She had refit maintenance and alteration work undertaken in 1989.

M/Y BRAVE CHALLENGER Engineering & Performance:

Installed with triple ROLLS ROYCE/GM codog main engines, BRAVE CHALLENGER is able to reach a top speed of 60 knots. Connected to her Rolls Royce/GM engine(s) are 3sc. She also has an efficient range of 2000 miles whilst underway at her cruise speed of 44 knots. Her total HP is 13620 HP and her total Kilowatts are 10022.

The Accommodation On Aboard Superyacht BRAVE CHALLENGER:

The well proportioned luxury yacht M/Y BRAVE CHALLENGER is able to sleep as many as 10 passengers and 6 qualified crew.

A List of the Specifications of the BRAVE CHALLENGER:

Further Information On The Yacht

Anton Kaesar was the outfit that made the air con on this vessel. She has a teak deck.

BRAVE CHALLENGER Disclaimer:

The luxury yacht BRAVE CHALLENGER displayed on this page is merely informational and she is not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor is she represented or marketed in anyway by CharterWorld. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and informations are displayed in good faith but CharterWorld does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.

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Name Brave Challenger

Previous names

Construction.

BRAVE CHALLENGER was built in 1958 as a private yacht for Stavros Niarchos who required (and received) what is believed to have been the fastest yacht in the world at that time.

Based on the Vosper Brave Class patrol boats, but not a conversion, the vesssel represents the height of marine technology of the 1950s and 1960s.  She incorporates original design features including hull construction, propulsion systems and propeller design.

A major refit was undertaken in 1980 when an enclosed bridge and cruise diesels were added.  The vessel is still intact but requires extensive refurbishment of mechancial and electrical systems, and her superstructure requires urgent repairs.

BRAVE CHALLENGER was moved to Trafalgar Wharf, Porchester, UK in 2018 and underwent an exterior Stage 1 restoration as part of a planned two stage refit, Unfortunately the second stage (mechanical, electrical and interior) was delayed due to COVID and shipyard management issues. She was therefore re-launched and moved to Ocean Village Marina in Southampton. The project is now waiting for funding and equipment availability to enable Stage 2 to re-start.

Built by Vospers,Portchester

Major refit undertaken

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If you are the owner of this vessel and would like to provide more details or updated information, please contact [email protected]

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The top 10 fastest superyachts in the world

Despite their larger size, superyachts can still reach an impressive speed on the water – as this official list of the world’s fastest superyachts shows. For over 20 years, the 41.5-metre Izar -built yacht Foners had been outpacing her contenders with top speeds of 70 knots – equivalent to 80 miles per hour – and lay claim to the world's speediest superyacht title. But in 2023, a new contender swooped in and cinched first place. Described as a "hyper muscle yacht", the Bolide 80 entered the scene with a rapid 73-knot maximum speed.

Their challengers are not far behind. For adrenaline-seekers with a need for speed, get your pulses racing with our definitive list of the quickest superyachts on the water.

Bolide 80 | 73 knots

Built in 2023, the 24.9-metre Bolide 80 model holds the title for the fastest superyacht in the world, narrowly pipping the long-time champion, Foners , to the post. The "hyper muscle yacht" hits a blistering top speed of 73 knots with propulsion deriving from triple MAN 12 V 2000 diesel engines, each delivering around 2,000 horsepower. In terms of range, she is predicted to deliver 200 nautical miles at maximum speed, with a range of 345 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 55 knots.

Everything about the yacht's design has been carefully considered, from its aerodynamic-engineered exterior to the way it harnesses foiling technology. At the intersection of performance and avant-garde design, the Bolide 80 is able to hit the impressive top speed thanks to its "multi-stepped" planing hull that generates low frictional resistance. In terms of fuel consumption, she consumes 11 litres per mile at 40 knots, 13 litres per mile at 55 knots and 16 litres per mile at 70 knots.

The interior configuration on hull one – a collaboration between Stefano Faggioni and Victory's internal design team – features an owner's cabin in the most forward part of the hull. Meanwhile, the main saloon is located on the lower deck amidships, which can be transformed into a second cabin if needed.

• Builder: Bolide Yachts
• Country of build: Italy
• Delivery year: 2023
• Length Overall: 24.9 m
• Beam: 5.4 m

More about this yacht

Yachts for sale, more stories, foners | 70.1 knots.

Clocking in at a thrilling 70.1 knots, the 41.5-metre Foners once raced to the top spot as the world’s fastest superyacht but is now narrowly trumped by the Bolide 100. She’s been difficult to catch up with, having maintained her position since her delivery in 2000. 

Her zippy speed is produced by two 1,280hp MAN engines coupled with three Rolls Royce 6,700hp gas turbines that drive three KaMeWa water jets. But she is not just about speed; her interior, designed by Studio Spadolini is quite literally fit for a king. Originally built by Spanish shipyard Izar as the King of Spain’s royal yacht , the DLBA-designed Foners features interiors finished in elegant gloss sycamore wood panelling with stitched tan leather detailing. She can accommodate eight guests and six crew on board, and her superstructure has been lined with Aramid fibre for the express purpose of making it bullet proof. There is a formal dining room indoors, while the deck spaces are vast offering plenty of opportunities for al fresco entertaining. At a cruising speed of 12 knots, she has a range of 1,800 nautical miles.

• Builder: Izar
• Country of build: Spain
• Delivery year: 2000
• Length Overall: 41.5 m
• Beam: 9.2 m
• Gross Tonnage 180 t

World Is Not Enough | 67 Knots

World Is Not Enough comes third to Foners by just a fraction, able to reach a respectable top speed of 67 knots. She was delivered in 2004 by Millenium Super Yachts and designed by Dutch naval architect Frank Mulder . She is propelled by two Paxman diesel engines and two Lycoming gas turbines, producing a staggering 20,600hp. She also boasts an impressive cruising range of 3,800 nautical miles at a comfortable speed of 10 knots.

World Is Not Enough measures 42.4 metres LOA and can accommodate 10 guests on board in five luxurious cabins, along with seven crew members. When not ploughing through the waves at full throttle, she offers plenty of space for relaxation, with al fresco dining and lounge spaces available on all decks and an additional formal dining space and bar indoors. Her interiors have been designed in a classic style by Evan K. Marshall and feature marble finishes, opulent mirrors and glossy wood panelling. She was last refitted in 2011.

• Builder: Neptunus - Millennium
• Country of build: Netherlands
• Delivery year: 2004
• Length Overall: 42.4 m
• Beam: 8.25 m
• Gross Tonnage 291 t

Galeocerdo | 65 Knots

The sleek lines and futuristic design of Rodriquez Yachts’ Galeocerdo is the result of exhaustive research and design development programme by Wally founder Luca Bassani. Created with the aim of maintaining high speeds in rough seas, the 36-metre Wally Power 118 superyacht was launched in 2003 following tank testing at the SSPA facility in Goteborg, Sweden, and wind tunnel testing at the Ferrari facility in Maranello, Italy. Lazzarini Pickering Architetti and Intermarine also collaborated on the design of Galeocredo .

Galeocerdo is driven to a top speed of 65 knots by three Vericor TF50 gas turbines, each driving a Rolls-Royce Kamewa water jet. The titanium exhaust system is lightweight while extremely resistant to the high temperatures generated by the gas turbines, and can muster up to 16,800hp. At a cruising speed of 45 knots, she can cover a range of 1,500 nautical miles. Her interiors offer room for six guests and six crew on board.

• Builder: Rodriquez Yachts
• Delivery year: 2003
• Length Overall: 36 m

Kereon | 62.3 Knots

Launched in 2004 by Italian yard AB Yachts, Kereon can blast through waves at a top speed of 62.3 knots. This punchy performance is made possible by a triple 6,300hp CRM diesel engine set-up fitted to a fast planing hull designed by naval architect Angelo Arnaboldi . Inside Kereon can accommodate up to six guests in three cabins, while her 12,000-litre fuel tank means a maximum range of 900 nautical miles is possible at her fast cruising speed of 50 knots. The 35.7-metre superyacht features sharp exterior lines and a distinctive metallic silver superstructure that contribute to her sporty allure.

• Builder: AB Yachts - Next Yacht Group
• Length Overall: 27 m
• Beam: 6.4 m

Jet Ruban Bleu | 60 knots

Neck-and-neck with Brave Challenger , Azimut Atlantic Challenger, OCI Ciorinie and the AB100 is the 25-metre Jet Ruban Bleu . Delivered in 1990 by Multiplast , and designed by Gilles Ollier together with Coste Design & Partners , she is powered by a single MTU 3,500hp engine and can reach a top speed of 60 knots. At a speed of 50 knots she has a cruising range of 3,000 nautical miles. She features a planing GRP hull and superstructure, with her decks also constructed from GRP.

• Builder: Multiplast
• Country of build: France
• Delivery year: 1990
• Length Overall: 25 m
• Beam: 4.39 m

AB 100 | 60 knots

Forming part of AB Yachts ' 30-metre AB100 series, sisterships Yunga and El Mirlo secure 10th place in the list of the fastest superyachts in the world. The sportfly models were the first to be launched since the series was redesigned in 2021 and boast impressive credentials: a top speed of 60 knots, cruising speed of 37 knots, and maximum cruising range of 550 nautical miles at 45 knots, with power coming from a pair of MTU diesel engines. The AB100 series is known for its "breathtaking" speeds upwards of 50 knots, which the Viareggio-based shipyard claims can be reached "almost without noticing". Interior design on both yachts is owed to Archea Associati with accommodation for up to 10 guests across four staterooms. 

• Delivery year: 2021
• Length Overall: 30.5 m
• Beam: 6.8 m
• Gross Tonnage 147 t

Oci Ciornie | 60 Knots

Prolific naval architect Don Shead teamed up with American yard Palmer Johnson and Dutch shipbuilders Vripack in 1998 to create Oci Ciornie . This aluminium-hulled speed machine was fitted with twin 1,800hp MTU 16V 2000 M90 engines, a 4,600hp AVCO Lycoming gas turbine and Arneson surface drives for a staggering top speed of 60 knots.

Her interiors can accommodate up to eight guests in three cabins consisting of a master suite, double cabin and twin room with a pair of pullman berths. The deck saloon and forward outside spaces are all located on one level for a streamlined look, and the interior of the main saloon takes design cues from vintage aircraft design. The 25-metre superyacht can also accommodate two crew on board.

• Builder: Palmer Johnson
• Country of build: United States of America
• Delivery year: 1998
• Beam: 6.22 m

Azimut Atlantic Challenger | 60 knots

Designed purely for the purposes of collecting the Blue Riband award, the Azimut Atlantic Challenger was launched by Benetti in 1988 with exterior details by Pininfarina . The 26.82-metre aluminium monohull can reach a top speed of 60 knots under the power of four CRM diesel engines offering 7,400hp. At a cruising speed of 40 knots, she has a range of 3,000 nautical miles. Unfortunately, her attempt to procure the Blue Riband shortly after her launch in 1988 was ultimately fruitless.

• Builder: Benetti
• Delivery year: 1988
• Length Overall: 26.82 m
• Beam: 7.5 m

Brave Challenger | 60 Knots

Powered by three Rolls-Royce Proteus gas turbines totalling 13,500hp, the 31-metre Brave Challenger has proven top speeds of over 60 knots and can achieve higher speeds using its alternative Vosper-developed high-speed propellers.

Built by Vosper Ltd in Portsmouth in 1961, Brave Challenger is the only surviving example of the Brave Class fast-patrol design that was designed and built for the Royal Navy. Built alongside the Royal Navy’s HMS Brave Borderer and HMS Brave Swordsman , Brave Challenger was completed with a special consent of the Admiralty and Royal Navy to be equipped for private use.

First acquired by owner W.G. Haydon-Baillie in 1979, Brave Challenger was rebuilt to flagship standard at a purpose-built facility as part of the Haydon-Baillie Aircraft and Naval Collection in Southampton over a period of 10 years and 2.2 million man hours from 1979 – 1989. From 2017 – 2021, Brave Challenger underwent a full restoration by the Haydon-Baillie Maritime Heritage Team at the superyacht refit yard Trafalgar Shipyard in Portsmouth. Its dedicated support base now includes 54 spare Rolls-Royce Proteus gas turbine engines, extensive spares, 10 spare V-Drive gearboxes and 12 spare propellers.

"Brave Challenger ’s speed of 60-plus knots was officially recorded under Lloyds Supervision over the Measured Mile off Portsmouth, UK – and is fully repeatable at all times as part of its design and everyday operating potential," according to owner W.G Haydon-Baillie. "It is often considered that only the fastest yacht speeds that are officially recorded and are not one-off events – and are fully repeatable as part of the yacht's design and everyday operating potential are relevant to include in the top 10 fastest claims."

• Builder: Vosper
• Country of build: United Kingdom
• Delivery year: 1960
• Length Overall: 31.39 m
• Beam: 7.32 m
• Gross Tonnage 209 t

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M/Y Brave Challenger

31 m, 1960 , Vosper Thornycroft

Motorboat Monday: Brave Challenger, Awesomeness Dialled To 11³

(All images sourced from various corners of The Internet courtesy of Google Image Search. If they belong to you, let me know and we will acknowledge you for them. If you happen to be Mr Hayden Bailey, and Brave Challenger belongs to you, please, please, please get in touch next time you take her to sea and need a crew. Thank you.)

RoadworkUK is the online persona of Gianni Hirsch, a tall, awkward gentleman with a home office full of gently decomposing paper and a garage full of worthless scrap metal. He lives in the village of Moistly, which is a safe distance from London and is surrounded by enough water and scenery to be interesting. In another life, he has designed, sold, worked on and written about cars in exchange for small quantities of money.

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6 responses to “Motorboat Monday: Brave Challenger, Awesomeness Dialled To 11³”

Any word on the fuel consumption at full speed? I wonder how far one could get when pushing the three throttles ahead…

Nope. I suspect there to be enough range at high speed to impress folk on the beach until you reach the next bay, before hiding for a while until stealthily slinking back into port.

My completely uneducated guess is 300 gallons per hour at 80% throttle.

You’d need a fuel tanker to follow you around – if it could keep up.

Send those tankers ahead to rendezvous as needed.

My father, Malcolm Duval, had a lot to do with the installation of the Proteus engines for Niarchos. He was also called in by Hayden Baillie when he bought Mercury. We had a family trip to have a look at the yacht, which was stunning.

My father doesn’t a lot of time on sea trials and cruised the Med during these trials.

© 2022 Hooniverse [Founded in 2009] Hooniverse is a trademark of Hoonigan used with permission

• Ten Fastest Super Yachts

Ten Fastest Super Yachts

As materials get lighter and technology improves, so boats get faster. Here are 10 of the fastest in the world.

10. Sun Ark

Another performance yacht from Heesen, Sun Ark (originally Bonita) was also designed by Frank Mulder and launched in 1995. The 36.7 meter vessel can reach speeds of 54 knots using its triple waterjets. She is equipped with an ultra-modern stabilization system that reduces roll motion and results in a much smoother cruising experience than some of the other super-fast yachts. She also has bow thrusters to make her more maneuverable at low speeds. She has accommodation for 8 guests in 4 suites and 5 crew members.

Originally named AA Absolute, she was built in 1995 by Heesen Yachts in Holland, for the Sultan of Brunei and was designed by Frank Mulder. Her maximum speed is 54 knots with a cruising speed of 30 knots. The 36.58 m yacht had a total refurbishment in 2007 and another refit in 2012. She can accommodate up to 9 guests with 7 crew in her spacious and luxurious interior.

The flagship of the Mangusta 108 series built by Overmarine and designed by Andrea Bacigalupo and Stefano Righini, Nobody was launched in 2001. She was powered by two Lycoming gas turbines combined with waterjets, which generate 8,770hp and give her a top speed of 55 knots which has been compared with the sound of an aircraft taking off. The 33.5 m vessel has luxurious accommodation for 9 guests and 5 crew.

This ultra-lightweight, high speed yacht was built in 2007 by the New Zealand shipyard McMullen & Wing, constructed in carbon-fibre using the Vacuum Infusion Process and was built to withstand the high loadings of up to 2.2G while travelling at her maximum speed of 57 knots and cruising at 30 knots. Measuring 37.8 m, she is powered by triple waterjet propulsion and can accommodate eight guests. Every component of the yacht was critically analysed to save weight, with titanium used where possible for deck fittings and hand rails and light weight veneered foam panels for interior joinery. It was the state of the art vessel at that time, with impressive navigation and communication systems and an interior that was both streamlined and bright, with the use of lighter woods and yellow, tan and blue leather. She was the winner of the “Best Power Yacht, 24-40 m” category at the 2008 International Superyacht Society Design and Leadership Awards.

6. Brave Challenger

This 31m yacht was originally named Mercury and was built in 1958 by Vosper for the Greek shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos. She was launched in 1960 with the potential for a maximum speed of 60 knots and an exhilarating cruising speed of 44 knots, making her the fastest yacht in the world at that time. She has three gas turbines combined with surface drives generating 13,620hp and also two conventional engines which give her easier manoeuvrability at low speeds. She has accommodation for 10 passengers and 6 crew. Her classic lines with mahogany /aluminium frames and predominantly aluminium superstructure have evolved during a series of refits.

5. 118 Wally Power

Probably the most distinctive and one of the fastest motor yachts in the world, Wally Power is a 36m luxury craft with a maximum speed of 60 knots. Powered by three gas turbine engines producing 17,000hp, its striking vertical bow and narrow, angular hull, help it to cut through the water with incredible stability and control. She actually went through water tank and wind tunnel testing at a Ferrari facility in Maranello, Italy. Constructed and owned by the Kondakji family, the deck, cockpit, navigation, dining and saloon areas have been designed as one continuous element and there is a 360-degree view from the dining area. The boat’s finish is metallic dark green, which changes reflections and colour depending on the light and the landscape. It is easy to see why she won the Millennium Yacht Design Award for the “Layout of the Third Millennium” and is worth a cool $33 million.

4. Gentry Eagle

Designed and built in 1988 by the late Tom Gentry, who set nearly every powerboat record in existence, the 34.1m, 11,500 hp Gentry Eagle set a record time of 62 hours and 7 minutes in 1989, to cross the Atlantic, winning the coveted Blue Riband. Her top speed in racing configuration was a staggering 69.6 knots. She was relaunched as a high class motor-yacht in 1992 by adding lavish features without losing out on her power. She is now capable of speeds of over 63 knots and her sleek, streamlined exterior and luxurious interior, would not be out of place in a James Bond film. The helm boasts seven black leather Recaro racing seats and a spiral staircase leads below deck to 2 formal staterooms with 2 full baths. The décor includes exotic hardwoods and custom burnished straw wall coverings.

3. Alamshar (Or is it?)

Built by Devonport (now managed by Babcock Marine), in the UK and measuring 50m, she was developed to incorporate the very latest gas turbines, a unique propulsion system which has so far not been used on any other yachts. She was built under a veil of secrecy specifically to break the speed record. The 6 gas turbines and 3 water jets were supposed to give her the capability of speeds up to 65 knots. That was the plan; but on taking delivery of the boat, its billionaire owner, the Aga Khan, expressed massive disappointment in the boat. Named after one of the owner’s racehorses, the Alamshar only managed an undistinguished 30 knots in its sea trials off Plymouth, which could lead to a major legal battle against the dockyard that built her. This was not the only problem the builders have faced; last year the turbine blades in three of its engines, burnt out.

Built at the Izar shipyard for King Juan Carlos of Spain and previously known as Fortuna, she held the title of the fastest yacht in the world in 2000, when she reached a speed of 68 knots. She has a length of 41.5 m and is propelled by three Rolls Royce gas turbines and two MAN diesel engines. Eight guests can be accommodated in a four stateroom layout including a luxurious master suite. The interior is in gloss sycamore wood with stitched tan leather detailing and equipped with a 46 inch television/entertainment center and a formal dining area. For anyone out there with a few million euros to spare she is for sale at the present time at a price that has been reduced from 10 million euros to 8.25 million. She is bullet proof too!

1. World is not Enough

The only yacht to have reached a speed of 70 knots, with a cruising speed of 50 knots, she was built in 2004 by Millennium Super Yachts, a company set up in 1998 and aiming to build the fastest and most beautiful yachts in the world. She is the brainchild of John Staluppi and John Rosatti and is driven by two Paxman diesel engines and two Lycoming gas turbines, incorporating triple waterjets, which can produce 20,600 hp. With a length of 42.4 m, one would expect her to be stripped-down in order to achieve her speed; the typical speed of a boat of her size being between 20 – 25 knots. Her interior is equally impressive, accommodating 10 guests in luxurious comfort, including an in-deck pool and state of the art audio-visual system. The aluminium superstructure gives an aerodynamic shape and stability even at top speeds, with minimum noise level or vibration and a shape that will cut through the water effortlessly, even in the roughest conditions.

Some of these iconic superyachts are actually available to charter if money is no object and you fancy the combined thrills of speed and luxury living.

Author – Dee White

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CONSTRUCTEUR

YACHT BRAVE CHALLENGER | VOSPER THORNYCROFT (1960)

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YACHT BRAVE CHALLENGER DESCRIPTION

Motor Yacht BRAVE CHALLENGER was built in 1960 (last refit in 1989) by british ship builder VOSPER THORNYCROFT. M/Y BRAVE CHALLENGER has a Hull built with mahogany laminate-aluminium and a superstructure with amumium. She has a length of 103 feet, (31,4 meters) for a beam of 24 feet, (7,3 meters) and a draft of 7,3 feet, (2,2 meters). She can welcome up to ten guests and employed up to six crew. M/Y BRAVE CHALLENGER is powered by three ROLLS ROYCE/GM PROTEUS/6V92TA engines developing up to 13620 horse power for a cruising speed of 10 knots.

ABOUT M/Y BRAVE CHALLENGER INSURANCE

The maximum speed of yacht BRAVE CHALLENGER might incur additional conditions and an increased Premium and Deductible regarding the underwritter. We will offer you an insurance package to suit your specific needs.

The 10 Fastest Superyachts in the World

Yachts used to be all about leisurely cruising surrounded by luxury, but somewhere along the way power and performance came into the equation as well. Coupled with cutting edge technology and the demand that yachts meet increasingly high standards, the superyacht was was born. The top vessels in this class not only look amazing, but can cruise faster than 50 knots.

Here are 10 of the fastest superyachts in the world.

1. Moon Goddess – 53 knots

Moon Goddess is a 35 meter motor yacht that was built by shipbuilder Danish Yachts in 2006. Its engineering and gorgeous exterior are the work of yacht designer Espen Oeino. It has three luxurious cabins — two twin cabins and one owner’s cabin — that can accommodate six guests. There’s also room for a crew of five on this superyacht, which can reach top speeds of 53 knots.

2. Daloli – 54 knots

Heesen Yachts’ Daloli, also referred to as Pandion, has a cruise speed of 37 knots and a top speed of 54 knots, making it one of the fastest superyachts in the world. The 36.5 meter vessel can host up to 8 passengers and a crew of 6 in four cabins. Daloli has three decks and its interior looks as stunning as its exterior.

3. Why Not – 55 knots

Why Not, which was originally called Nobody, has a name that doesn’t quite match its lavish features. Designed by Overmarine in 2001, this yacht accommodates up to 3 crew members and 9 passengers. Vericor TF40 gas turbine engines allow Why Not to reach a top speed of 55 knots, while teak decks and a planing hull give it a distinctive profile. Multiple dining, entertainment, lounging, and sun bathing areas ensure that anyone who steps aboard this superyacht will be thoroughly entertained and enveloped in luxury.

4. Ermis² – 57 knots

Ermis² reaches a top speed of 57 knots and is among the fastest yachts built by McMullen & Wing. The high speed composite motor yacht is comprised of aerospace grade carbon fiber and titanium to create a body that’s light, yet very powerful. It’s over 37.5 meter long, has four fabulous cabins, and accommodates eight guests and a crew of four. The price tag for Ermis² tops $14.3 million.

5. Brave Challenger – 60 knots

One of the fastest superyachts in the world is also one with a very interesting history. Brave Challenger was crafted by UK based Vosper Thornycroft in 1960, and the custom vessel has been turning heads since it first set sail. Originally dubbed Mercury, Brave Challenger is over 31 meters long and reaches a top speed of 60 knots — considering the size of this yacht, that’s quite impressive. Three GM diesel engines and triple screw propellers provide its speed.

Brave Challenger hosts a crew of up to six members and ten guests. It’s a boat that’s built for entertaining and enjoying the water and has been going strong for decades. That Brave Challenger has been in commission for over 55 years and still holds a top spot in the yachting world is a testament to its fine craftsmanship and engineering. Inside, this yacht has a gorgeous vintage feel. Rich oak, luxurious fabrics, and smooth charm all combine to create a retreat that’s truly timeless.

6. Galeocerdo – 60 knots

Galeocerdo is one of the more unique looking superyachts in existence, and it’s also quite speedy. At first glance, you may think it belongs in a sci-fi or action movie — this boat is very distinctive and has a futuristic profile. Sharp lines, stark angles, and an imposing stature give Galeocerdo a presence that’s not easy to miss.

This nearly 36 meter vessel reaches a top speed of 60 knots and was built in 2003 by Wally Yachts. Its power is courtesy of two Cummins diesel engines, and it’s made of super light carbon fiber. When it’s time to cruise, Galeocerdo glides along the water at 9 knots and has plenty of amenities onboard to give passengers a comfortable, pleasurable experience. Galeocerdo is available for charter and has been around the world. Its price tag tops $33 million.

7. Gentry Eagle – 63 knots

The 34.11 meter Gentry Eagle is a superyacht with plenty of power, speed, and style. It hosts up to six passengers and a crew of four members and was built by Vosper Thornycroft in 1988. Back then, it was named 2768 — “Gentry Eagle” is definitely a more fitting name.

In 1992, the vessel was retrofitted and made into a yacht that’s not only a great performer but a beautiful sight inside and out. Its sizeable flybridge, aerodynamic components, and luxurious features have given the Gentry Eagle its sterling reputation as an example of superb shipbuilding.

8. Foners – 68 knots

Foners was formerly known as Fortuna, and was first used as the royal yacht of the King of Spain in 2000. Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Bazan custom made the vessel and outfitted it with incredible amenities, as well as Aramid fiber lining to make it bulletproof. Inside, Foners has a huge salon with luxury seating, handcrafted tables, a large screen television, formal dining area, and plenty of entertainment areas.

There are four cabins aboard Foners that host up to eight guests. The two twin suites are quite spacious, and the VIP stateroom is the epitome of sophisticated. The grandest of all the cabins is the master suite, which is insanely beautiful — after all, this superyacht was created for royalty.

As gorgeous as its interior and exterior are, Foners was engineered first and foremost to have great power. It has two MAN engines that provide 1,280 hp and three Rolls Royce gas turbines to give it a top speed of 68 knots. Foners was put on sale in mid-2014 for over $9 million.

9. Alamshar – 68 knots

Alamshar is one of the top two superyachts in terms of speed, but it also took a very long time to build. After 13 years in the making, Alamshar was finally completed in 2014. Pininfarina, Redman Whiteley Dixon, and Donald L. Blount and Associates collaborated to design the striking vessel, which reaches top speeds of 68 knots. Alamshar was custom built for Aga Khan IV and cost a staggering $200 million.

10. World is Not Enough – 70 knots

With a name like “World is Not Enough”, it’s only right that this superyacht is the fastest on the planet. The Millennium 140 vessel is 42 meters long and races at 70 knots. Of course, it’s also ultra-luxe inside and no detail or expense was spared to design and built it.

Garrett by trade is a personal finance freelance writer and journalist. With over 10 years experience he's covered businesses, CEOs, and investments. However he does like to take on other topics involving some of his personal interests like automobiles, future technologies, and anything else that could change the world.

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Classic Triple Gas Turbine Ship

1961 – Original Construction by Vosper Ltd in Portchester UK

1979 to 1989 – Major Restoration at Ocean Quay in Southampton UK

2017 – 2020 – Major Refit at Trafalgar Shipyard in Portchester UK

Original construction based on the hull form and machinery layout of the Vosper 'Brave Class' Fast Patrol Boats.

1979 to 1989

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31.4m  /  103' | vosper thornycroft | 1960.

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From Challenger to Leopard: How Ukraine’s tanks compare to Russia’s

New footage purports to show britain-made challenger 2 tank destroyed in combat for first time, andy gregory reports.

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I t was a decision hailed by a top aide to Ukraine ’s president Volodymyr Zelensky as “a real punching fist of democracy” against Russia ’s invasion – the fact that the UK, US and Germany would provide tanks to Kyiv.

The 14 Challenger 2 tanks from Britain and 18 Leopard 2 tanks pledged by Germany reached Ukraine in March, while the Abrams tanks promised by the United States are finally expected to start arriving this month.

The extent to which the tanks have been deployed on the battlefield in Kyiv’s grinding counteroffensive effort this summer is unclear, but they are likely to be used to capitalise upon any breakthrough in Russia’s heavily fortified defensive lines.

However, on Tuesday, footage purportedly captured near the Zaporizhzhia village of Robotyne – where Ukraine is reported to have enjoyed promising gains – appeared to show a burnt-out Challenger 2 tank.

It is believed to mark the first time a Challenger 2 has been destroyed in combat since the tanks were first deployed in 1994, save for a friendly fire incident in Iraq in 2003.

While the Western tanks have undoubtedly bolstered Kyiv’s firepower, they appear to have so far been relatively constrained by Russia’s dense minefields and other fortifications, but military experts have said they could be key in the event of any major breakthrough.

Although only pledged in small numbers, the decision to supply tanks marked a gear change in Nato’s support for Ukraine, where both Moscow and Kyiv’s forces had been fighting largely with Soviet-built tanks.

The Independent has taken a look at the various tanks either already, or soon to be, at play in the war, how they compare, and what this could mean for the war effort on each side.

Challenger 2

The UK has sent 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. Developed by Vickers Defence Systems, now BAE Systems, these 8.3-metre-long tanks have since been deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq, and are designed to destroy other tanks.

It is the heaviest of all three Western tanks on offer, and although capable of firing Nato rounds, uses a different kind of ammunition for its main rifled gun – high-explosive squash-head ammo – and is slightly slower, sporting a 1200-horsepower engine, 300 short of its contemporaries, according to Dr Marina Miron, of Kings College London’s war studies department.

Its 120mm rifled gun is said to have an effective firing range of at least 3km using armour-piercing rounds. The Challenger also claims the furthest tank-on-tank kill shot in military history, destroying an Iraqi vehicle at a range of 4,700 metres during the Gulf War in 1991.

This week, one Ukrainian serviceman extolling the machines as “a sniper rifle among tanks” claimed a Challenger 2 had “undoubtedly set a world record [in Ukraine] when it hit a T-55 [tank] from a distance of more than five kilometers”, adding: “You’re basically just scaring the Russians with the sound of the engine.”

This tank prioritises firepower and protection – provided by “world-class” Dorchester 2 armour – over speed, making it slightly slower than its counterparts, but this is offset by its “accuracy and lethality”, according to the British army.

“As far as protection goes, Challenger 2 is very well protected. It would take a number of hits from a T-72 [Soviet-era tank operated by Russia] and the crew would survive,” Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer in the British army’s Royal Tank Regiment, previously told CBS News.

More than 2,000 Leopard 2s sit in European and Canadian arsenals, with a reported price tag of around £5m each – and a consortium of Nato countries including Canada, Spain and Denmark have so far pledged more than 100 of the battle tanks to Ukraine.

Designed during the Cold War, as part of a programme that also birthed the Abrams, to fight the Soviet-era tanks currently being used in Ukraine, Leopards are designed to withstand 125mm penetrator ammunition fired from 1,500 metres and “are one of the best armoured tanks”, according to Dr Miron.

Fitted with two coaxial light machine guns alongside its main guns, the Leopard is prized for its high manoeuvrability and adaptability, and is viewed as particularly suitable for Ukraine, with relatively lower fuel consumption than its American counterpart.

“These are the Mercedes BMW supertanks of the world,” Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer in the British army’s Royal Tank Regiment, told CBS News, adding: “I would want at least 10 or 15 T-72 survivors [used by Russia] up against one of them.”

Analysis by the Dutch open-source intelligence group Oryx suggests that, of the at least 70 Leopards thought to have been received by Ukraine, just seven have so far been destroyed in combat, with nine others damaged, and three damaged and abandoned.

Damaged tanks are being repaired at depots in Poland and Germany and will later return to the frontline, while Forbes reported that modifications to the Leopards mean it is possible that nearly every crew member in the destroyed tanks may have escaped the vehicle before it burned or exploded.

M1A2 Abrams

Designed by Chrysler Defence during the Cold War and since used in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Abrams is the main battle tank of the US army, while Australia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Poland all own export versions. Ukraine is now set to receive 31 of the tanks – enough for an entire battalion.

The Abrams is reported to be the first tank in which the commander and gunner are both provided with optical and thermal sights – including a periscope spanning 360 degrees – which allows them to simultaneously track separate targets in what is called a “hunter-killer” capability.

The US army credits the tank – reported to cost up to $10m (£8m) once training and maintenance is factored in – with “lethal firepower, unparalleled survivability, and audacious manoeuvre”, while Dr Miron told The Independent that the 120mm depleted uranium rounds it fires, known as “silver bullets”, are “probably the most lethal to any armour”.

After months of indecision, amid fears over provoking Russia, Reuters reported this week that the US will include the depleted uranium rounds in its package to Ukraine, which Britain vowed to do in March.

The “main difference” between the Abrams and the Leopard lies in the former’s gas turbine engine, which requires jet fuel, meaning troops would need a separate supply chain to power the vehicles, according to Dr Miron – which had sparked doubts among US officials over its suitability for Ukraine.

“The maintenance and the high cost that it would take to maintain an Abrams — it just doesn’t make sense to provide that to the Ukrainians at this moment,” the Pentagon said in March.

Politico reported this week that some 200 Ukrainians have completed training in Germany on the Abrams, as US defence officials expressed hope the looming shipment could help Kyiv breach Moscow’s defences.

The Abrams is “one hell of an armored vehicle,” a US defence department official said. But “it’s not a silver bullet. Ultimately, it’s Ukraine’s determination to break through that matters most.”

Both Ukraine and Russia have been relying heavily on Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which despite representing a new level of firepower upon their introduction in 1973 – with their large 125mm cannons – now find themselves somewhat outgunned by the next generation.

Upgraded versions are said to have a limited “hunter-killer” capability, but lack the panoramic sight enjoyed by the commander in newer tanks. Like other models on this list, most T-72s are also fitted with a laser rangefinder, which adjusts the main gun before it fires in order to account for wind, temperature and the tank’s movement.

As the Red Army’s main tank until the Soviet Union’s collapse, tens of thousands of these lightweight and relatively agile models are believed to have been produced, with Wired reporting in 2015 that used models could be bought by civilians for just $50,000.

These are the main tanks currently used by Ukraine, which also uses Soviet T-64s and T-80s, and as of March accounted for most of the 450 tanks Kyiv had been supplied with by its allies since Russia’s invasion last February, given its existing familiarity with the vehicles.

But in terms of its armour, the T-72 is quite “light”, mainly using welded steel, meaning that the crew protection element “is certainly much weaker than other tanks”, according to Dr Miron – evidenced by the continual flow of images showing these tanks with their turrets blown off.

Washington has pledged to upgrade some of Kyiv’s stock of T-72s with new optics, communications, and armour, which the Pentagon claimed would make them “the most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield”.

Designed by Russia as an improvement on its Soviet predecessors, following heavy losses during the Chechen and Gulf wars, some versions of Moscow’s newest tank are, on paper at least, even better than their Nato counterparts, boasting a superior gun and anti-tank missile system.

The T90’s large 125mm gun can fire different types of ammo, including HEAT and HE-Frag (high-explosive fragmentation) ammo, as well as the 9M119 Reflex (Refleks) anti-tank guided missiles, which have a maximum range of up to 4,000m, according to Dr Miron.

The T-90S model boasts both conventional and explosive reactive armour, and along with its Western counterparts has some modern detection systems such as infrared, thermal vision, and day and night sight, Dr Miron said.

But Britain’s Ministry of Defence said last August that it was “highly likely” that many Russian crews lacked the training to properly maintain explosive reactive armour – as it sought to account for the “heavy attrition” suffered by Russia’s main battle tanks in Ukraine.

According to the Military Balance database, Russia had around 3,330 operational tanks in total shortly before its invasion of Ukraine, with another 10,000 in storage.

For its part, Ukraine is thought to have started the war with just shy of 1,000 Soviet-made T-64s, T-72s and T-80s.

T-14 Armata

First revealed during Russia’s 2015 Victory Day parade, this tank has been touted by Moscow as marking an ambitious departure from its pragmatic and cost-efficient predecessors.

However it is still in development. While Russian state news agency Tass claimed in July that a number of T-14s had been deployed in Ukraine to test their performance in “real combat conditions,” it reported a month later that they had been withdrawn for further tweaks.

T-14s are claimed to be capable of firing guided anti-tank missiles with a range of 5km, potentially putting low-flying helicopters at risk.

The fastest of the tanks listed, its armour has been updated to a combination of steel, ceramic, and composite materials, with the potential for further modules to be added on, and is claimed to be invulnerable even to RPGs and to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, according to Dr Miron.

However, the British Ministry of Defence suggested in January that their deployment was “likely to be a high-risk decision for Russia”, with Russia’s 11-year development programme “dogged with delays, reduction in planned fleet size, and reports of manufacturing problems”.

Having already been hampered by logistics issues in Ukraine’s vast territory, Moscow could struggle to adapt its supply chains to incorporate these larger and heavier tanks, according to the ministry.

Therefore, any deployment would likely be primarily “for propaganda purposes”, with production probably only in the low tens, and commanders “unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat”, British intelligence analysts said.

What does this mean for the Ukraine war?

All three Western tanks are more agile than Russia’s T-models, which can’t reverse at speed, according to Dr Ralf Raths, director of the Panzer Museum in Munster, Germany.

“Imagine a boxer who cannot move freely in the ring, but only in one direction,” he previously explained . “The other boxer, who can move in all directions, has a big advantage, and that is the case with the Leopards.”

However, Dr Miron also warned that neither the Challenger nor the Leopard has seen many battles and, despite its seemingly superior armour, the Leopard “has seen some problems in Syria and proved to be vulnerable to mortars and mines”.

Niklas Masuhr, of the Zurich-based Centre for Security Studies, warned in January that the addition of tanks alone wouldn’t be “a game changer or a war-winning technology, anything like that”.

“You can’t just deploy a bunch of main battle tanks and assume they will win,” he said. “They’re very valuable, but you still need to use them in the correct way and integrate them with all the other military tools that you have at your disposal.”

According to the open-source monitoring group Oryx, Ukraine has lost at least 642 tanks, of which 415 were destroyed and 143 captured by Russia, which has lost at least 2,290 tanks – of which 1,482 have been destroyed and 549 captured.

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Tensions and hostility against america’s cup sailing competition ‘for the rich’ in barcelona.

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The Red Bull Alinghi AC75 boat sails pass The American Magic AC75 'Patriot' boat during a training ... [+] session in Barcelona. Photo by David Ramos

Resentment against the effects of massive tourism has been brewing for years in Barcelona, and that sentiment has reached new heights this summer precisely as the America’s Cup , the world’s premier sailing competition, starts and becomes the latest target of protests and criticism.

Protesters are blasting the oldest sporting race in the world that runs from August 22 to October 27 as ‘elitist and opaque’, claiming that it’s “just for rich people,” driving up prices for locals and putting the Spanish city under more pressure.

The Platform Against the America’s Cup, created last year to fight “against an event that will generate mass tourism and is already causing the massive diversion of housing to seasonal rentals,” as stated on their site, has said that new protests against the event are being organized as six teams compete to claim the 37th victory of the yacht race .

“A lot of people involved in the race have taken up long-term rents on apartments in the city center and pushed up prices for local people,” Martí Cuso of the Platform warned. “There will be protests coming in the first week of September.”

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Poster by The Platform Against the America’s Cup in Barcelona

According to the daily La Vanguardia of Barcelona, “the America's Cup 2024 disguises the agony of beach clubs in Barcelona and all Catalonia.”

The article explains how, paradoxically, the celebration in Barcelona of the oldest regatta in the world coincides with the demolition of local nautical clubs. “This global event hides the anguish of Catalan sailing clubs threatened by a rigid enforcement of the State Coastal Law.”

“The great legacy that the Cup will bring for Barcelona is the recovery of the coast,” Barcelona’s mayor told El Periodico newspaper.

Las Ramblas pedestrian street with crowds of tourists

Looking for “Quality Tourism”....for the rich

From the official side, The America’s Cup — the ultimate sporting competition for the super-rich — is, in fact, an effort by city officials to attract “quality, rather than quantity” tourism.

The yacht competition is sponsored by the luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton , which in late May had already organized a star-studded fashion show in the Park Güell, one of Barcelona’s most popular tourist attractions, designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí, that caused serious clashes between residents protesting the closure of the park for the glitzy event and baton-wielding police charging at protesters.

A model parades during a Louis Vuitton fashion show at Park Guell on May 24, 2024, in Barcelona, ... [+] planned as part of the 37th America's Cup. Photo By Lorena Sopena

Since then, anger has been growing over the fact that the city is being overrun by tourists and glitzy international events to the detriment of local life.

“Local people say they have been bombarded with calls from estate agents and speculators wanting to buy their homes to cash in on the event, which they say is pushing up rents” the Guardian writes.

Two models of AC75 sailboats during the first day of the last preliminary race of the America's Cup, ... [+] in the Port of Barcelona, on 22 August, 2024. Photo By Alberto Paredes

Displaced by the crowds

Much of the local population has already been driven out of the areas of Barcelona most affected by mass tourism and campaigners fighting for more stringent controls argue that “rather than attracting a ‘better’, high-spending type of tourist, events such as the America’s Cup simply bring more people to a city already struggling to cope with the mass of visitors.”

Those who live near hot spots in the city are frustrated with daily life where, as reported in the New York Times , they feel “displaced by the crowds; pollution along the waterfront where massive cruise ships dock; and everywhere, it seems, an apparent disregard for local culture.”

Jaume Collboni, the socialist mayor of Barcelona, has said that the contest will bring €1.2 billion in revenue for the city, and create jobs. Critics, on the other hand, say that the potential income from the lavish competition will be enjoyed by few as the tournament itself is followed mostly by the elites.

“This is not like the Olympics, where people are interested in the sport,” Cuso told the web news site i . “This is just for rich people who can afford to go and see the yachts on their own boats at sea.”

He went further to explain that the yachts are sponsored by luxury brands that want to use Barcelona to promote their products.

America's Cup trophy

Tensions and hostility rising

Tensions over tourism that finally boiled over into outright hostility has triggered splashy headlines globally, such as the incident last month when some 3,000 residents took to the streets to protest against tourism , some squirting visitors on the city’s famed boulevard Las Ramblas with water guns.

In 2023, 12 million tourists visited Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million residents, making it the favorite destination in Spain. This year, tourism officials ex[ect at least 13 million visitors.

“Their impact includes skyrocketing housing prices, dirty beaches, crowded thoroughfares and the transformation of historic neighborhoods into what locals refer to as “theme parks,” The New York Times writes.

Barcelona is the second Spanish city to host the competition. Valencia hosted two consecutive editions in 2007 and 2010.

Security reinforcements

As for the multi-million pound America’s Cup, a major security operation has been launched around the event and competition areas with more than 650 police deployed in land, six boats patrolling the sea and helicopters flying above Barcelona. The Civil Guard has also deployed divers to reinforce security at sea.

Following years of technological innovation and hundreds of millions of euros of investment from super-rich backers, the Emirates Team New Zealand will be defending the title against challenges by boats from Italy, Switzerland, France, the U.K. and the U.S.

At the round-robin stage, which will last until September 8, each challenger crew races each other twice, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals. Those Challengers of Record will face-off against the reigning champions in a series of races in October.

Most of the teams have had established bases for training in Port Vell, the city’s old port, since last year.

The America’s Cup was first staged on the Isle of Wight in 1851 and is claimed to be the oldest international sporting event in the world. It was last held in 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand, and was won by the hosts.

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Ukraine attacked Moscow on Wednesday with at least 11 drones that were shot down by air defences in what Russian officials called one of the biggest drone strikes on the capital since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

The war, largely a grinding artillery and drone battle across the fields, forests and villages of eastern Ukraine, escalated on Aug. 6 when Ukraine sent thousands of soldiers over the border into Russia’s western Kursk region.

For months, Ukraine has also fought an increasingly damaging drone war against the refineries and airfields of Russia, the world’s second largest oil exporter, though major drone attacks on the Moscow region – with a population of over 21 million – have been rarer.

Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences destroyed a total of 45 drones over Russian territory, including 11 over the Moscow region, 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

Some of the drones were shot down over the city of Podolsk, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The city in the Moscow region is some 38 km (24 miles) south of the Kremlin.

“This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever,” Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app in the early hours of Wednesday. “The layered defence of Moscow that was created made it possible to successfully repel all the attacks from the enemy UAVs.”

Along Moscow’s boulevards, the cafes, restaurants and shops of the capital – which has been carefully insulated from the war – were crowded with little sign of concern, while President Vladimir Putin met Chinese premier Li Qiang in the Kremlin.

Two Russian citizens who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said the foiled drone attack simply showed how well defended Moscow now was, and that Ukraine was “playing with fire” by attacking Russia both in Kursk and in Moscow.

Russia meanwhile is advancing in eastern Ukraine, where it controls about 18% of the territory, and battling to repel Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region, the biggest foreign attack on Russian territory since World War Two.

Russian media showed unverified footage of drones whirring over the dawn sky of the Moscow region and then being shot down in a ball of flame by air defences.

Moscow’s airports, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, limited flights for four hours but restarted normal operations from 0330 GMT, Russia’s aviation watchdog said.

Sobyanin said that according to preliminary information, there were no injuries or damage reported in the aftermath of the attacks. There were also no casualties or damage reported following the attack on Bryansk in Russia’s southwest, the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, wrote on Telegram.

Russia’s RIA state news agency reported that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region to its north. Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region in Russia’s southwest, said air defence forces destroyed a Ukraine-launched missile over the region, with no injuries reported.

The Russian defence ministry did not mention either Tula or Rostov in its statement listing destroyed Ukrainian air weapons. Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday it overnight struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system based in the Rostov region.

The drone attack on Moscow was on a par with a May 2023 attack when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital, a strike Putin said was a Ukrainian attempt to scare and provoke Russia.

In Kursk, Russian war bloggers said intense battles were ongoing along the front in the region where Ukraine has carved out at least 450 square km (175 square miles) of Russian territory.

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Multiple Secret Service Agents Put on Leave After Trump Assassination Attempt

At least five members of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) have been placed on administrative leave following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Fox News has confirmed.

One member of Trump’s personal protective team and four members of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh Field Office, including the special agent in charge, have been sidelined nearly six weeks after the incident.

The news comes as the elite agency investigates the colossal security failure which led to Thomas Matthew Crooks firing off several shots from the nearby AGR building.

Additionally, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Friday revealed that a Secret Service whistleblower has come forward to claim that officials at Secret Service headquarters encouraged agents in charge of the rally to not request any extra security assets in their formal planning request.

One bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, while firefighter Corey Comperatore was fatally struck. Rally-goers James Copenhaver and David Dutch were also shot and injured.

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned less than two weeks after the shooting and after giving her initial testimony about the event before members of Congress. Various lawmakers have called on the Secret Service to make personnel changes and fire employees in the wake of the deadly incident.

Fox News has also learned that the threat to Trump from Iran was communicated internally at the Secret Service prior to the Butler, Pennsylvania, event and the investigation is likely looking into why the Butler event went forward, given the threat.

The Secret Service said in a statement that the agency is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of personnel in relation to the July 13 event.

“The U.S. Secret Service’s mission assurance review is progressing, and we are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure,” Anthony Guglielmi, the USSS chief of communications said in a statement.

“The U.S. Secret Service holds our personnel to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for potential disciplinary action. Given this is a personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further.”

The FBI has previously stated that Crooks accessed the roof of a building by climbing up HVAC equipment and piping. Crooks then traversed multiple rooftops before he found his shooting position on top of a building about 150 yards from where the former president spoke at his rally.

Text messages sent by local law enforcement responsible for monitoring the rally flagged Crooks to colleagues as suspicious at least 90 minutes before he opened fire. Despite this, he was still able to shoot at Trump and the crowd.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., welcomed the news that action has been taken on some Secret Service members.

“There must be accountability at the Secret Service for its historic failures that led to the attempted assassination of President Trump,” Comer said.

“Holding negligent employees accountable is the first step. I look forward to the Task Force’s findings of its investigation. We must ensure the Secret Service does not fail again.”

Hawley also welcomed the action taken by the agency, saying it should have happened weeks ago.

“We still need real answers about the attempt on President Trump’s life and accountability for everyone involved,” Hawley said.

Hawley also revealed on Friday whistleblower claims that officials at Secret Service headquarters informally encouraged agents in charge of the Butler rally to not request any extra security assets in their formal planning request as they would be denied because Trump was a former president and not an incumbent president or vice president.

Hawley shared on X a letter he penned to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe asking for an explanation into who made such a call, if he knew about it and which security assets were left out of the manpower request for the event.

Hawley writes that the assets included counter-sniper teams and counter Sniper Division (CSD) personnel. He writes that counter-snipers were ultimately approved but only a day before the event and that a separate whistleblower claimed previously that CSD personal would have handcuffed the gunman after he was spotted in the parking lot with a rangefinder.

“Yet you have repeatedly suggested that no security assets had been denied for the Butler event. You must explain this apparent contradiction immediately,” Hawley writes, in part.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Merrick Garland, speaking at an unrelated event, said Friday that he could not comment on any specific suspensions.

“This was a security failure and there is both an internal and external independent investigation,” Garland said. “They will provide lessons learned to prevent such a failure from happening again.”

Furthermore, former NYPD inspector Paul Mauro tells Fox News that there were serious discrepancies in the planning and operation of the rally.

“Those discrepancies argue more things are not so much mistakes, but instead, institutional rot,” Maura said. “And what bothers me is that the executives who have been overseeing and not solving the problems that the Secret Service clearly has will likely get off scot-free. And certainly [Homeland Security Secretary] Mayorkas and Cheatle should not be able to ride off into the sunset with their reputations intact.”

RFK Jr. Drops Out, Endorses Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in a court filing, endorsed former President Donald Trump, ahead of an announcement that will likely bring an end to his quixotic campaign just months before the November elections.

Kennedy filed on Friday to officially have his name withdrawn from the Pennsylvania ballot “as a result of today’s endorsement of Donald Trump for the office of President of the United States,” according to a brief filed by Kennedy’s campaign attorney. He also filed to withdraw from another swing state, Arizona, on Thursday evening.

The Pennsylvania filing came just before Kennedy held a press conference in Phoenix to announce his plans for the campaign.

The independent candidate’s exit will add yet another twist to the already chaotic 2024 presidential race. Kennedy’s unorthodox views drew support from Democrats and Republicans. Both parties worried that he would be the biggest electoral spoiler in decades.

The presidential election remains incredibly close, and if even a fraction of Kennedy’s support moves to Trump, it could be decisive in swing states.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Address to the Nation https://t.co/Wf4xt12GSX — Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 23, 2024

Takeaways from the Final Night of the DNC as Harris Accepts Nomination

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered the closing speech of the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, capping off the four-day gathering of top Democrats.

The evening was packed with celebrities, with musicians such as Pink and the Chicks taking the stage on the grand finale of the DNC. The event drew so many attendees that the convention floor was completely closed off hours before Harris took the stage.

Harris took the stage immediately after Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) gave his remarks, delivering the most important speech of her career.

Here are the top takeaways from the final night of the DNC.

Harris makes policy pledges in biggest speech of political career

Harris used her keynote speech to make several policy pledges. The vice president has faced heavy criticism from the Trump campaign, and even some legacy media outlets, about her lack of a fleshed-out policy platform, coupled with flopping on some of the more progressive ideas she backed earlier in her political career.

The vice president has slowly started to leak out some policies, such as tax credits to incentivize new, starter home construction, but her remarks Thursday night painted a much clearer picture of what the Harris agenda will look like, in broad strokes at least.

On the economy, Harris doubled down on vows to address the housing crisis and pass tax cuts for the middle class while simultaneously knocking former President Donald Trump for driving up the deficit.

Abortion was front and center all week, but Harris earned, arguably, her biggest applause line of the night by forcefully committing to sign legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into law and declaring that Republicans pushing national abortion bans are “out of their damn minds.”

Harris also stood firm on a familiar tactic from President Joe Biden on immigration. The vice president blamed Trump for killing the bipartisan border security bill this past year, reaffirmed her commitment to signing it into law, and called for a legal, earned pathway to citizenship.

Most importantly, the vice president took a significant step toward addressing a major vulnerability: progressive sentiment on the war in Gaza. The vice president forcefully called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate return of hostages held by Hamas. Still, she didn’t call for an arms embargo on Israel, and the jury is still out on whether her comments will satisfy protesters here at home.

Rumors about Beyonce being a ‘surprise guest’ quashed

Hopes that Beyonce would make a surprise appearance on the closing night of the DNC were dashed after the night ended with no sign of the “Freedom” singer.

Musicians Pink and the Chicks took the stage on the final night of the DNC. The event drew so many attendees that the convention floor was completely closed off hours before Harris took the stage.

The A-lister delegates and attendees were most excited to see was Beyonce. Speculation mounted throughout the week and hit a fever pitch Thursday that Beyonce would perform on the final night of the DNC.

But the night closed without any mention or appearance of the singer.

Battleground Democratic governors help Harris close out the convention

Cooper and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), both from battleground states, were among the final speakers on Thursday night.

Whitmer’s and Cooper’s states are crucial to Harris’s 2024 campaign. She will need to win both states in November to secure a victory against Trump.

In her speech, Whitmer sought to paint Harris as a leader who understands the struggles of everyday voters, saying, “She’s lived a life like ours.”

“She knows us. Donald Trump doesn’t know you, at all,” Whitmer said. “Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all. Do you think he understands when your car breaks down and you can’t get to work? No!”

Meanwhile, Cooper sought to depict Harris as a fighter, emphasizing her time as a district attorney in California.

“America, we’ve got a lot of big fights ahead of us. And we’ve got one hell of a fighter ready to take them on. I know that because I know her,” Cooper said. “And tonight, I want the American people to know: Even if you don’t agree with her on everything, Kamala Harris will fight for you to the very end.”

DNC denies uncommitted delegates’ demand for speaker as protests continue outside

Uncommitted delegates’ demands to be given a speaker spot at the DNC remained unfulfilled as the four-day convention drew to a close.

The delegates gathered inside the United Center to protest the DNC’s refusal to permit a Palestinian American speaker, with one delegate telling the Washington Examiner that they walked around the entire United Center one time.

The delegates gathered in a circle at the end of their march and chanted, “Free free Palestine” before dispersing.

A handful of pro-Gaza protesters tried a few times to get chants going during Harris’s remarks but were either drowned out by cheers or simply silenced by other people in the arena. The vice president did call for an end to the war in Gaza and for the release of hostages still held by Hamas, but that likely won’t be enough to silence the movement.

Protesters gathered outside the security perimeter on the final night of the DNC were met with officers from the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service division, who accompanied the protest along its designated route.

DNC closes convention floor due to capacity

The convention floor was closed to attendees hours before Harris took the stage, with members of the press and attendees being told the floor was at capacity and not being granted admittance inside the arena.

Standing Committee of Correspondents Co-Chairwoman Farnoush Amiri posted on X Thursday night that the “DNC has told security at the United Center that journalists cannot be guaranteed reentrance into the arena if they leave to go use the restrooms.”

Attendees inside the United Center could be seen lining the halls of the convention center as they waited to be granted entry.

Trump Visits Border Wall in Arizona — Highlights Violent Crimes Committed by Illegal Migrants

Former President Donald Trump accused Vice President Kamala Harris of overseeing an invasion at the southern border during a news conference Thursday in southern Arizona alongside the families of murder victims allegedly killed at the hands of foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally.

Harris “has overseen a nation-wrecking border invasion,” Trump said at the Arizona-Mexico border.

Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. She did so after “a coup” forcing out President Joe Biden, Trump said at his news conference.

“For nearly four years, Comrade Kamala … has allowed at least 20 million people, all illegal aliens, into our country, including millions and millions of unvetted fighting age men from over 158 different countries,” Trump said. The Center Square has reported the number of illegal border crossings is more than 12.5 million.

Because of Biden-Harris policies, Border Patrol agents “are being forced to free tens of thousands of illegal aliens from custody week after week. These are the most violent criminals that you’ll ever see. Every day brings another story about innocent Americans being tortured, raped murdered and massacred by illegal aliens that Kamala Harris has set free in our country.”

Trump described the criminals released into the country and the types of crimes they committed in their home countries or in the U.S. They include a Peruvian gang leader wanted for 23 murders; “an illegal alien who approached two 13-year-olds with a machete in New York in broad daylight in front of other people and forced them into the woods, tied them together by the wrist, and raped them over and over again.”

Migrants were just arrested “for the rape of a 46-year-old woman in Coney Island who threw her to the ground and raped her with a knife to her throat,” he said. “One of them had previously been arrested for raping another woman but instead of being deported he was released into our country and told to enjoy your life.”

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, “a woman who was offered a ride home by two illegal aliens was instead kidnapped, held down and raped then driven around while the illegals discussed how they planned to kill her. They didn’t want to have a witness,” Trump said. She escaped by throwing herself out of the moving car.

Trump also described a crime in the Bronx, allegedly committed by “an illegal alien who Kamala set loose into the country, [who] approached a 36-year-old woman while pretending to ask for directions, before he wrapped his arms around her throat, pinned her down on a park bench, and raped her publicly. She said, he wasn’t trying to rape me, he was trying to kill me.’”

The former president also described the sexual assault of two young girls in Michigan by an illegal border crosser; the murder of a 54-year-old mother of four in Virginia who was killed by “an illegal alien trying to steal her car” and who “ran her down, ran her over and left her dead on the ground;” and a Venezuelan “illegal alien criminal let in by Comrade Kamala [who] shot a female police officer multiple times with a rifle” in Texas.

Trump described the murder of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was “assaulted, beaten and horrifically murdered. Kamala Harris let in the illegal alien animal who murdered Laken. This monster was in Border Patrol custody. They didn’t want to let him go but under Kamala’s policies, he was set free to kill and that’s what he did.

“Kamala let this bloodthirsty killer go free and then he murdered beautiful Laken.”

Trump also described “the heartbreaking story of Rachel Moran,” whose family members joined him at the news conference and spoke. Rachel was “brutally raped and murdered by an illegal alien who was let into America by Kamala Harris and her policies of stupidity. The savage person who committed this heinous crime first killed another woman in El Salvador before walking across our open border” before allegedly committing a home invasion in Los Angeles.

“Biden-Harris unleashed a deadly plague of migrant crime on our country” that “shattered so many families’ lives and stole so many incredible young lives,” Trump said.

“We can’t let it happen to other people. We can’t let what you’re going through happen to other families,” he said to the Angel families joining him. One was 12-year-old Houston murder victim Jocelyn Nungaray’s mother, who endorsed Trump. The victims’ lives were taken “all for no reason whatsoever” by “hardened, hardened criminals pouring into our country,” he said.

Trump refuted the claims made by some Democrats and news outlets that illegal foreign nationals “don’t commit crimes like people that live here.”

The Center Square has reported for years on Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers pursuing, arresting and removing criminals and fugitives illegally in the country. From fiscal years 2021 through 2023 alone, ICE agents arrested more than 387,000 criminal noncitizens, breaking records in fiscal 2023. The majority were from Mexico, Nicaragua, Columbia and Venezuela.

“They make our criminals look like babies,” Trump said. “Our criminals all of a sudden don’t look so tough. These are the roughest people from all over the world.”

Watch full speech:

Fed Chair: ‘Time Has Come’ to Cut Rates

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell laid the groundwork Friday for interest rate cuts ahead, though he declined to provide exact indications on timing or extent.

“The time has come for policy to adjust,” the central bank leader said in his much-awaited keynote address at the Fed’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks.”

With markets awaiting direction on where monetary policy is headed, Powell focused as much on a look back at what caused the inflation that led to an aggressive series of 11 rate hikes from March 2022 through July 2023.

However, he did note the progress on inflation and said the Fed can now turn its focus equally to the other side of its dual mandate, namely to make sure the economy stays around full employment.

“Inflation has declined significantly. The labor market is no longer overheated, and conditions are now less tight than those that prevailed before the pandemic,” Powell said. “Supply constraints have normalized. And the balance of the risks to our two mandates has changed.”

He vowed that “we will do everything we can” to make sure the labor market says strong and progress on inflation continues.

Stocks added to gains as Powell began to speak while Treasury yields dropped sharply . Traders maintained a 100% chance of at least a quarter percentage point rate cut in September and raised the odds of a potential half-point reduction to about 1-in-3, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch.

“This was a valedictory of essentially Chair Powell turning the page, saying the mission, which has been focused on inflation for the last two years, has been successful,” economist Paul McCulley, a former Pimco managing director, said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”

Sees progress toward goals

The speech comes with the inflation rate consistently drifting back to the Fed’s 2% target though still not there yet. A gauge the Fed prefers to measure inflation most recently showed the rate at 2.5%, down from 3.2% a year ago and well off its peak above 7% in June 2022.

At the same time, the unemployment rate has slowly but consistently climbed higher, most recently at 4.3% and in an area that otherwise would trigger a time-tested indicator of a recession. However, Powell attributed the rise in unemployment to more individuals entering the workforce and a slower pace of hiring, rather than a rise in layoffs or a general deterioration in the labor market.

“Our objective has been to restore price stability while maintaining a strong labor market, avoiding the sharp increases in unemployment that characterized earlier disinflationary episodes when inflation expectations were less well anchored,” he said. “While the task is not complete, we have made a good deal of progress toward that outcome.”

Markets are expecting the Fed to start cutting in September, though Powell made no mention of when he thinks policy easing will begin. Minutes from the July open market committee meeting, released Wednesday, noted that a “vast majority” of officials believe a September cut will be appropriate so long as there are no data surprises.

“He’s pretty dovish. He bought the option to do whatever he needs to do next month, which is clearly an ease,” said Joseph LaVorgna, chief economist at SMBC Nikko Securities. “I don’t think the bar for 50 [basis points] is particularly high.”

In addition to assessing the current state of play, Powell took considerable time in the speech to evaluate what led to the surge in inflation — hitting its highest level in more than 40 years — as well as the Fed’s policy response and why price pressures have eased without a recession.

‘Good ship Transitory’

When inflation first began to rise in early 2021, he and his colleagues — as well as many Wall Street economists — dismissed it as “transitory” and caused by Covid-related factors that would abate.

“The good ship Transitory was a crowded one,” Powell quipped to laughter form attendees, “with most mainstream analysts and advanced-economy central bankers on board. I think I see some former shipmates out there today.”

When it became clear that inflation was spreading from goods to services, the Fed pivoted and began hiking, ultimately adding 5.25 percentage points to its benchmark overnight rate that had been around zero following emergency cuts in the early pandemic days.

The rise in inflation, Powell said, was “a global phenomenon,” the result of “rapid increases in the demand for goods, strained supply chains, tight labor markets, and sharp hikes in commodity prices.”

He attributed confidence in the Fed and well-anchored expectations that inflation ultimately would ease to the economy avoiding a sharp downturn during the hiking cycle.

“The FOMC did not flinch from carrying out our responsibilities, and our actions forcefully demonstrated our commitment to restoring price stability,” he said. “An important takeaway from recent experience is that anchored inflation expectations, reinforced by vigorous central bank actions, can facilitate disinflation without the need for slack.”

Powell added that there is still “much to be learned” from the experience.

“That is my assessment of events. Your mileage may differ,” he said.

Former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy was chased out of an anti-Israel protest a few blocks away from the DNC after making a surprise appearance.

Ramaswamy was noticed by the crowd of radical activists as soon as he left his car, and was swarmed by protesters and journalists at Union Park where the protests have been organizing all week.

“You should take off. We don’t want you here,” Hatem Abudayyeh, who openly supports Hamas, told Ramaswamy. The Arab activist, who had his home raided by the FBI in 2010 for “material support of terrorism,” told Ramaswamy to leave after telling him he doesn’t have a right to be present if he does not “support the Palestinian people.”

“The good news is we are in America and so we all actually get to express ourselves,” Ramaswamy quipped back.

Abudayyeh called Ramaswamy a “racist Zionist pig,” setting off chants of, “Racist go home.” Ramaswamy was then mobbed and escorted out of the park by his security team, setting off a frenzy among local police trying to contain the crowd to the park.

We set up an interview with @VivekGRamaswamy at the anti-Israel protests in Chicago. Here’s what happened: pic.twitter.com/hlZJf0Xkri — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) August 22, 2024

Immediately after the altercation, Ramaswamy told The Daily Wire that the protesters, if they really want an end to wars, should actually support former President Donald Trump.

“The irony is that if a lot of these people, if they want to stay out of war, there is a president who kept us out of war for four years,” Ramaswamy said as he was being escorted away from the scene. “There wasn’t war in the Middle East. There wasn’t war in Russia and Ukraine.”

Before the conflict started, Ramaswamy said he enjoyed his exchange with a communist who sold him a newspaper on communism for five dollars.

“I think there are a lot of people who may want to engage in thoughtful dissent, but the majority of what it has become ends up devolving into a thoughtless and quasi-physical exercise,” he said. “You got a lot of people that are rightly pissed off about the direction of the Democratic Party.”

Brawl breaks out in Chicago after anti-Israel protesters attack man carrying the American flag pic.twitter.com/3XMtxwsu0N — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) August 22, 2024

Ramaswamy said he “wanted to come see” the protest for himself because he “didn’t trust” the media’s representation of it.

At the park, protesters were carrying a mix of Palestinian flags, Black Liberation flags, Communists flags, and a Hezbollah flag.

The protesters are expected to march outside the DNC Thursday night, the last night of the convention, which will feature Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris as the headliner.

Pentagon Could Sideline 17 Navy Ships Due to Manpower Shortages

Military Sealift Command has drafted a plan to remove the crews from 17 Navy support ships due to a lack of qualified mariners to operate the vessels across the Navy, USNI News reported.

The MSC “force generation reset” identified two Lewis and Clark replenishment ships, one fleet oiler, a dozen Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) and two forward-deployed Navy expeditionary sea bases that would enter an “extended maintenance” period and have their crews retasked to other ships in the fleet, three people familiar with the plan told USNI News Thursday.

Based on the crew requirements on the platforms, sideling all the ships could reduce the civilian mariner demand for MSC by as many as 700 billets.

A defense official confirmed the basic outline of the plan to USNI News on Thursday. Two sources identified the forward-deployed sea bases as USS Lewis Puller (ESB-3), based in Bahrain in U.S. Central Command, and USS Herschel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4), based in Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece, and operated in U.S. European and Africa Command.

A Navy official, when contacted by USNI News, acknowledged the service was working on a plan to retask civilian mariners but did not provide details.

The new effort, known informally as “the great reset” has yet to be adopted by the Navy and is awaiting approval from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, USNI News understands.

‘Burning Through People’

The Military Sealift Command operates a fleet of logistics ships that refuel and resupply the Navy’s ships around the world and are crewed by 5,500 civilians who are employed by the Navy.

Across the MSC there are about 4,500 billets for mariners on a wide variety of U.S. support ships ranging from resupply vessels, fleet oilers that refuel ships and aircraft, salvage ships, the Navy’s two command ships, submarine tenders and hospital ships.

For every billet on an MSC ship there are about 1.27 mariners to fill the positions, a ratio that two former MSC master mariners told USNI News on Thursday was unstainable.

“If you’re required to have 100 people on a vessel. There are only 27 more people on shore at any given time to rotate those crew members,” a former MSC mariner told USNI News.

At that ratio, a mariner would be at sea for four months and off for about a month ­and then return.

“That math just doesn’t work,” the former mariner told USNI News. “No one is able to have a healthy work-life balance and be able to get off the ship and get adequate time to go home, have time at home with their family, take leave, take care of medical requirements [in that timeframe]. There is so much training required of every billet at MSC to stay proficient with Navy requirements and training and merchant marine credentialing.”

That’s much more time at sea than commercial mariners. For example, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association union contracts requires their members to work with two mariners for every billet, which translates to a paid month off for every month at sea.

In addition to the more demanding schedule, the extra wrinkle for the MSC mariners is that they earn leave at the same rate as other DoD employees and junior mariners aren’t paid for their time off on shore if they haven’t accrued leave.

If the Navy and MSC elect to reassign the crews of all 17 ships, the so-called great reset could free up 600 to 700 sailors to the larger MSC pool, USNI News understands. That would bring the ratio closer to 1.5 mariners per billet and allow MSC mariners more time on shore and allow the Navy to crew newer support vessels like the John Lewis-class fleet oiler. Three have delivered to the Navy, but none have deployed in part due to crew availability, USNI News understands.

The punishing schedule for the mariners led to a retention issue for MSC that was accelerated by the severe “gangway up” COVID-19 prevention measures ordered by retired MSC commander Rear Adm. Michael Wettlaufer.

“[During] COVID nobody was getting off the ship, mariners were being treated poorly and so they started to quit,” a retired MSC mariner told USNI News. Since then, “mariners have been quitting at a greater rate than MSC can hire new ones… People say ‘I had to quit because it’s a terrible work-life balance. I can’t go to sea and also have a family, so I got to leave.’”

Another former MSC mariner told USNI News he enjoyed sailing with MSC, but he saw his older peers deal with divorce and estrangement from their children and didn’t want that for himself.

“I can’t say much bad about MSC, he said. “But when I left, I left because of my family.”

That pressure to retain experienced mariners led to the decision to craft the plan to sideline ships, three sources familiar with the plan told USNI News.

“This is basically the result of many years of neglect and mismanagement of their force,” Sal Mercogliano, former MSC mariner and associate professor of history at Campbell University told USNI News on Thursday.

“They are just burning through people.”

Spearheads and Seabases

Perhaps the highest visibility ships purposed to be sidelined are the two forward-deployed expeditionary sea bases. While Navy officials did not identify the hulls, two people familiar with the draft plan said the ESBs were CENTCOM’s USS Lewis Puller (ESB-3) and U.S. Europe and Africa Command’s USS Herschel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4).

Puller has been forward deployed to Bahrain since 2017 serving as host for both mine countermeasures and special operations forces in the region. For example, CENTCOM has used the ship as a platform to launch anti-smuggling operations to seize Iranian weapons bound for Yemen as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. In 2023, it was positioned off the coast of Sudan as a platform in case U.S. citizens needed to evacuate from the country.

Puller is based on the Alaska-class tanker design and is a follow-on to a converted amphibious warship USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15). The ESB was commissioned in port in Bahrain to allow it to operate as a warship. The idea proved so popular, the Navy has bought several more of the platform. Williams has held annual patrols around Africa and been central to the Navy’s effort in the region.

The largest shares of ships proposed to be sidelined in the great reset are the 12 active Spearhead-class EPF in the service, USNI News understands. The first two EPF, USNS Spearhead (EPF-1) and USNS Choctaw County (EPF-2), have already been sidelined at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. While technically still part of MSC, the ships have a sparse crew and are listed in reduced operating status.

The EPFs, high-speed aluminum catamarans that are built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., are crewed by about 26 MSC mariners and have been deployed to the Pacific, Europe and Africa as part of U.S. outreach missions.

The hull form is set to be the basis for a new class of hospital ships which will enter the fleet by the end of the decade.

While the order has yet to be signed, Mercogliano has tracked EPFs beginning to return to the U.S. from aboard far from the end of their expected service lives.

“These ships have a lot of life in them,” he said.

Mayoral Candidate Plans to Let AI Bot Run Cheyenne, Wyoming

Artificial intelligence has officially run for office in what may be the country’s first election with a robot on the ballot.

Victor Miller has always been a big fan of sci-fi books, so it’s no surprise that he was also an early advocate for AI bots.

ChatGPT is his favorite AI, he says, and it is the platform he chose to build his running mate for the mayoral election in Cheyenne, Wyoming this summer.

He came up with the idea for VIC, as Miller dubbed the program, earlier this year when he had submitted a public records request to the local government that was rejected, according to The Washington Post.

He appealed the decision and ultimately received the information, but he also realized that a robot probably would not have made the mistake in the first place.

“Then I started wondering if AI would make a better mayor than any human,” he said.

His AI was quickly able to sort through and reference hundreds of public records laws and offer suggestions for funding strategies and renovation projects.

At a question and answer session this summer, Miller set up VIC to be able to directly respond to constituents’s questions.

“How would you make your decisions according to human factor, involving humans, and having to make a decision that affects so many people?” one voter asked the machine.

VIC paused before every answer, then spit out seemingly logical responses in a male voice.

“Making decisions that affect many people requires a careful balance of data-driven insights and human empathy,” VIC said.

“Here’s how I would approach it,” it added, before listing and explaining six different aspects of a plan he would use to govern fairly.

‘A brave new world’

Miller, 42, submitted the mayoral candidate application in the spring, stating that the name VIC should appear on the ballot — an acronym for Virtual Integrated Citizen.

The librarian said his plan is to take care of everything that the robot cannot — such as ribbon-cutting ceremonies and in-person events — while leaving the executive functioning up to VIC.

By June, residents of Cheyenne had begun hearing about the mayoral hopeful, running as nonpartisan, and sharing their opinions on the option.

“I’ve got an open mind,” 71-year-old local Richard Garrett told WAPO.

“It’s a brave new world,” he added, referencing the popular 1932 dystopic novel by Aldous Huxley.

Experts agreed that VIC’s candidacy was unprecedented — but said it was also dangerous.

“This incident in Wyoming seems to be testing the frontiers of local regulation,” Valerie Wirtschafter, who researches AI and democracy at the Brookings Institution, told WAPO.

“While OpenAI may have certain policies against using its model for campaigning, other companies do not, so it makes shutting down the campaign nearly impossible.”

Not this time

Despite the hype around Miller and VIC, the innovative duo did not come close to becoming mayor during this year’s race.

Cheyenne residents went to the polls on Tuesday and decisively chose not to step into the future quite yet.

With a population of about 65,000 people and about 11,000 votes cast, just 327 residents opted for VIC, according to Wyoming news site StateScoop.

The incumbent nonpartisan Mayor Patrick Collins received 6,286 votes, giving him a majority and the mayoral seat.

But this does not spell the end for VIC, Miller said.

Although ChatGPT has blocked his account multiple times due to their policy against using AI for campaigning, the sci-fi fan does not mind building new ones.

It takes him less than a day.

“They can’t stop me from doing what I’m doing,” Miller told The Washington Post.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of word games they play.”

Manhunt for Arizona Suspect Who Threatened to Shoot Trump During Border Visit Today

A manhunt is underway in Arizona for a suspect who threatened to kill former President Trump ahead of a rally in the Copper State on Thursday.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspect as 66-year-old Ronald Lee Syvrud.

The sheriff’s office said Syvrud has outstanding warrants from the state of Wisconsin for DUI, failure to appear for DUI and from Graham County, Arizona, for hit-and-run and felony failure to register as a sex offender.

The sheriff’s office said it also has an absconder hold for Syvrud for failing to register as a sex offender.

Syvrud is listed on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections sex offender registry for “second-degree sexual assault of a child” with an Arizona address.

Court records reviewed by Fox News show Syvrud was most recently charged with assault in June, but that was dropped in July.

The sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that Syvrud is being sought “as an investigative lead for threats to kill a presidential candidate,” but did not elaborate. Fox News later confirmed that the “presidential candidate” is Trump.

The threat against former President Trump’s life comes after the assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.

The sheriff’s office told Fox News that there are “no known ties to Pennsylvania, and we are working with local, state, and federal agencies.”

The former president held his first outdoor rally on Wednesday since the assassination attempt, speaking behind a wall of bulletproof glass at a podium in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Trump is visiting the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona, Thursday while continuing to campaign for the November election. He’s been spending the week campaigning across battleground states.

At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Trump appeared to be unaware of the manhunt when asked for comment. The former president said he was aware it might be “dangerous” for him to be there but nevertheless, “I have a job to do.”

“I haven’t heard about that. They probably want to keep it from me,” Trump said, when asked to respond to the manhunt. “Thank you for telling me. Let’s get out of here, right now!” Trump joked. He again thanked the reporter for telling him.

Trump then pivoted to remarks on the assassination attempt in Butler, saying he has “great respect for the Secret Service” who jumped “on top of me with bullets flying.”

“I have great respect. But no, I haven’t heard that,” Trump said, referring back to the manhunt underway. “But I’m not that surprised. And the reason is because I want to do things that are very bad for the bad guys.

The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News it is aware of and tracking the manhunt in Arizona and referred all further inquiries to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office for further comments, including potential ties to Butler.

Supreme Court Restores Arizona’s Voter Proof-of-Citizenship Law

The Supreme Court on Thursday partially agreed to the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) emergency request to revive an Arizona law that strengthens proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting.

In a 5-4 vote, the justices reinstated Arizona’s law mandating officials reject state voter registration forms if the person did not provide proof of citizenship.

The court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented alongside conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

But in voting to deny the RNC’s other request, those four found themselves in the majority, bolstered by support from at least one of Chief Justice John Roberts or Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The RNC had demanded the reinstatement of Arizona’s prohibition that prevents registered voters from casting ballots for president or in the mail if they didn’t provide citizenship proof, even if they used a federal-level form to register, where proof is not required.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, who are viewed as the Supreme Court’s three leading conservatives, voted to reinstate those provisions, too.

The ruling came just ahead of Arizona’s ballot printing deadline, enabling the provision to go into effect for this year’s elections, when Arizona is expected to be a critical swing state in the presidential race.

By not fully agreeing to the RNC’s request, the Supreme Court’s decision sides with the Biden administration.

The Justice Department has sued over the latter provision as conflicting with federal law, but it has not challenged the portion impacting only state-level forms.

“Even putting aside the merits, applicants are not entitled to a stay,” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in court filings.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and various voting rights groups have challenged both sets of the provisions. The case revolves around claims that the changes are unconstitutional, preempted by federal law and violate a consent decree a state official signed in 2018.

After a federal district judge blocked the provisions and an appeals court refused to lift it, the RNC, joined by Arizona’s top two Republican state lawmakers, thrusted the Supreme Court into the dispute earlier this month by filing an emergency appeal.

They urged the justices to stay the lower ruling by Aug. 22, which is the state’s ballot printing deadline, arguing that the state was authorized to make the voter registration changes.

The challengers, however, urged the Supreme Court to stay out the case, insisting the RNC hadn’t cleared their high burden to receive emergency relief.

Lawyers for the DNC and other private plaintiffs told the justices the RNC “sat on their hands” after losing in a lower court.

“The tardiness is particularly inexcusable here, as applicants seek to weaponize Arizona’s forthcoming ballot-printing deadline to obtain relief,” their written response reads.

Democratic Arizona state officials, meanwhile, argued that the Supreme Court’s intervention “would be destabilizing” given the short timeframe before November’s election.

DNC Day 3: Top Takeaways

The third night of the Democratic National Convention featured a second former president, Bill Clinton, making the case for Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign.

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Harris’s running mate, gave the keynote speech Wednesday night as celebrity singers John Legend and Sheila E. staged a musical tribute to Walz’s Minnesota roots.

Stevie Wonder asked the crowd to “reach for a higher ground” in supporting Harris’s campaign before performing a medley of his songs. Kenan Thompson, of Saturday Night Live fame, appeared onstage Wednesday evening with a print-sized copy of Project 2025, a conservative proposal for a second Trump presidency.

Abortion rights activists featured prominently during the night with Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All; Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood; Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood; and Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List, all addressing the convention.

Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the convention, taking a jab at Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH) childless cat lady comments while pushing independents to back Harris. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who is aiming to become the first black House Speaker if Democrats gain control of the lower chamber, called former President Donald Trump “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.”

Here are the top five moments from the third night of the convention.

Tim Walz’s biggest career speech brings tears from son

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), along with Walz’s former students, including Ben Ingman and the former high school football players he coached, introduced the Minnesota governor before he spoke onstage.

The moment was a memorable Americana entrance for a man whom Harris branded as “Coach Walz” at their first campaign rally as running mates. In another emotional moment, Walz’s son Gus was seen sobbing while mouthing: “That’s my dad!”

Walz began his speech by thanking Harris and President Joe Biden for their nearly four years of leadership. “Thanks for putting your trust in me, and for inviting me to be part of this incredible campaign,” he said of Harris. “It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States.”

The Minnesota governor leaned on his background as a teacher before entering politics in a speech that will likely introduce him to wide swaths of the public. “So there I was, a 40-something high school teacher with little kids, zero political experience, and no money, running in a deep-red district. But you know what? Never underestimate a public school teacher,” he said.

Walz touted several progressive policies to the delight of Democrats, including providing free breakfast and lunch for school children, fighting for affordable housing, protecting abortion rights, and mediating medical debt for families.

“So while other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours,” Walz said as attendees cheered in excitement.

In a reprise of his attacks against the GOP, Walz called attempts to implement Project 2025, a conservative game plan for a second Trump presidency, “weird.”

As he ended his speech, Walz pushed for Democrats to donate, vote, and knock on doors because “when we fight,” Walz said to the crowd. “We win!” they yelled back.

An aging Bill Clinton slams the Trump campaign

Clinton, who recently celebrated his 78th birthday, claimed he was the oldest person in his family, but “I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” he quipped. Clinton is just two months younger than Trump, whose birthday is in June. The former president also mentioned that he was unsure how many more conventions he would attend after this week, in a humble reflection of his mortality.

He continued to slip in more criticisms against Trump, who Clinton claimed is “about me, myself, and I.”

“The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies. Count the I’s,” said Clinton, who marked his 12th address to the DNC Thursday evening.

Harris is Trump’s complete contrast, according to Clinton. “Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision and the experience, the temperament and the will and yes, the sheer joy to get something done,” he said.

“If you vote for this team, if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air, you’ll be proud of it for the rest of your life,” Clinton later declared. “Your children will be proud. Your grandchildren will be proud of it.”

The former president also commented on the joyful convention taking place in Chicago. “After the last two days, aren’t you proud to be a Democrat?” Clinton asked earlier on before claiming he loved seeing Barack and Michelle Obama speak the previous day, as well as Hillary Clinton’s address to the convention.

“One of the reasons that president-to-be Kamala Harris is doing so well is that we’re happy,” Bill Clinton would later claim. “But you should never underestimate your adversary. These people are very good at distracting.”

Nancy Pelosi’s cements status as party godmother

The former House Speaker received a standing ovation and chants of “Nancy! Nancy!” when she first walked onstage. Before Pelosi took to the stage, Mindy Kaling, the celebrity host of Wednesday’s convention, called her the “mother of dragons” in an introduction speech.

Pelosi slammed Trump over the actions of his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in her address to the convention. “Jan. 6 was a perilous moment for our democracy,” she said. “Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so gleefully embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office.”

“Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on Jan. 6 — he did. But let us not forget who saved democracy that day — we did,” Pelosi said. “Thank God we have a Democratic House of Representatives.”

Many Democrats have long believed that Pelosi was part of the push that finally convinced President Joe Biden to suspend his campaign, paving the way for Harris’s nomination. Biden and the former House Speaker reportedly have an icy relationship.

But at the convention, Democrats were ecstatic over Pelosi, who arguably has pulled the strings that led to an energized Democratic Party.

Former vice presidential candidates for Harris take the stage

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg both took to the stage Thursday night. The two leaders were once on the short list to join Harris as her vice presidential pick, but that role went to Walz.

Buttigieg spent part of his speech attacking Vance as an insufficient bridge to Midwestern voters whom he has insulted many with his “childless cat ladies” comments.

“J.D. Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life he has in mind for you, then you don’t count,” Buttigieg said. “A guy who thinks that if you don’t have kids, you have no physical commitment to the future of this country.”

The Pennsylvania governor slammed the Trump-Vance ticket as against the freedoms of the people. “Today, we find ourselves writing the next chapter,” Shapiro said. “Will we be a nation defined by chaos and extremism? Or will we choose a path of decency, honor, and continued progress?”

Another future leader of the party, Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD), addressed the crowd on Wednesday, where he called out Trump’s lack of military service. “I joined the army when I was 17. In fact, I was too young to sign the paperwork,” he said. “I had to ask my mom to sign it for me because I do not have bone spurs.”

Parents of hostage victim appeal for son’s return

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, gave an emotional speech appealing for the return of the eight American hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 surprise attack against Israel.

Goldberg doubled over in tears when the crowd chanted, “Bring them home!” as the parents first appeared onstage. It’s been 320 days since Goldber-Polin was kidnapped, and “since then, we live on another planet,” Goldberg said. “Anyone who is a parent or has had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that John and I and all the hostage families are enduring.”

“This is a political convention, but bringing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue,” added Polin.

Convention attendees were seen crying as the parents addressed the crowd. “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong, survive,” Goldberg declared. “This is a humanitarian issue.”

UPDATED: Romanian Police Raid Andrew Tate’s Home over New Allegations Involving Trafficking Minors

Romanian police on Wednesday searched four properties linked to Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan amid new minor sex and trafficking allegations. This investigation for trafficking minors started in June 2023.

According to Romania’s prosecutors for the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) police descended on four locations owned by the Tate brothers in Bucharest and Ilfov.

The searches are linked to a fresh investigation against the Tate brothers, according to the authorities.DIICOT implemented four home search warrants within Ilfov county and Bucharest municipality, in a criminal case regarding the commission of the crimes of:

• forming an organized criminal group
• trafficking minors
• human trafficking (new victims)
• sexual intercourse with a minor
• influencing statements and money laundering

A spokesperson for the Tate brothers confirmed the raids on social media. “Although the allegations in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering. The brothers’ legal team is present to ensure all formalities are carried out correctly,” they said.

Andrew Tate commented on X that he was the victim of conspiracies. “The Matrix is ​​real. And they have a tried and true playbook. Slander is their number one tool, and the process is the punishment,” wrote Andrew Tate.

The two are currently awaiting trial in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. In the UK, Andrew Tate faces a civil case from four British women who claim they were raped and assaulted. The brothers are also being taken to court by police in the UK for allegedly paying zero tax on $27 million in earnings from their online businesses.

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate were detained for 24 hours by DIICOT prosecutors on Wednesday evening, August 21, after more than 6 hours of questioning in a new case.

According to the same sources, other suspects were also detained in the same case, including Alex Stanciu, Alex Donea, and the two alleged accomplices of the Tate brothers, Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu.

There are 34 new victims in Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate’s latest case. This includes two minors, aged 15 and 17. There are a total of 49 victims across all of their cases.

A judge in Romania has ordered Andrew Tate to house arrest for 30 days. Tristan will remain on judiciary control. This will be reviewed in 30 days with the possibility of being extended.

Full DIICOT press release:

Pursuant to communique no. 1 of 21.08.2024, the Information and Public Relations Office within the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism is empowered to inform the public of the following:

On 21.08.2024, the prosecutors of the Directorate of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure ordered the detention of 6 defendants for committing the crimes of forming an organized criminal group, trafficking in persons, trafficking in minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, money laundering, influencing statements and favoring the perpetrator.

From the criminal investigation documents carried out, it emerged that, during 2015, three defendants (two of them foreign citizens) constituted an organized criminal group on the territory of Romania, to which a suspect (foreign citizen) joined in 2016 and in in September 2021, another defendant (Romanian citizen), who acted with the aim of committing the crime of human trafficking both on the territory of Romania and of other states.

Two of the defendants, using the loverboy method and taking advantage of the obvious state of vulnerability of 34 injured persons, recruited them, and with the support of the other members of the organized crime group, transported and housed them in different locations where they supervised them and coordinated by forcing them to produce pornographic materials that they later broadcast for a fee on profile platforms.

The proceeds thus obtained by the defendants from the sexual exploitation of the victims were valued at over 2,800,000 US dollars and 887,000 tokens.

It was also noted that in the period from 2014 to December 2021, one of the defendants (foreign citizen), by misleading (the loverboy method) and taking advantage of the obvious vulnerability of a minor victim (17 years old, foreign citizen), transported and sheltered her in several locations located on the territories of Great Britain and Romania, where he forced her to perform sexual acts in order to produce pornographic materials and distribute them on various websites. Material benefits valued at over 1.5 million US dollars were obtained from the criminal activity, which the defendant appropriated in full.

Also in his charge, it was noted that starting from December 2020, he repeatedly had sexual relations and acts with a minor victim, aged 15. In order to hide or dissimulate the illicit origin of the money resulting from the commission of the crime of human trafficking, between December 2023 and July 2024, the two defendants purchased and registered four luxury cars in the names of close people.

At the same time, in an attempt to prevent the discovery of the truth, they took actions of a clearly intimidating nature and acts of corruption on some injured persons and witnesses in order to induce them not to give statements or to give false statements in this file. With regard to two other defendants (Romanian citizens), from the conducted investigations, it emerged that they acted with the aim of hindering the investigations in this criminal case.

As a result of the home searches, the sums of approximately 26,000 euros, 81,000 lei, 5,800 GBP and 6,400 USD, two luxury watches, laptops, data storage units, documents and other means of evidence were identified and seized. An insurance seizure was instituted on 16 cars and a motorcycle, all from the luxury category.

Today, the judge of rights and liberties was notified with the proposal of preventive arrest of three of the detained defendants and the house arrest of another defendant.

Judicial activities are carried out together with police officers from the Ilfov Organized Crime Fighting Service.

The action benefited from the support of gendarmes from the Special Intervention Brigade of the Gendarmerie.

Everything You Need to Know About Sex-Trafficking Charges Against Andrew Tate

READ: 32 Andrew Tate Tweets That Will Change Your Opinion About Him

If you don’t know who is Andrew Tate you can learn more about him here.

Proof that Andrew Tate is was the owner of the Twitter account @OfWudan:

For those of you who are unsure if @OfWudan was Tate’s old account, or are in denial, let Tate tell you: pic.twitter.com/Z91bqCJxPN — Murdered By Crayons 🖍️ (@CrayonMurders) July 29, 2024

Jack Daniel’s Maker Scraps DEI Policies After Threat of ‘Anti-Woke’ Boycott

The maker of Jack Daniel’s whisky said it will pull back on its DEI initiatives, buckling to pressure on social media as an “anti-woke” activist said he was preparing to launch a boycott.

Spirits giant Brown-Forman Corp. – with a market capitalization of $21.37 billion – is the latest company to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion program, following Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply and John Deere.

Major firms who rely heavily on a red state clientele have been caving to boycott pressure from corporate activist Robby Starbuck, who said Jack Daniel’s was next on the list, but that the company reversed its policies before he got the chance to lead a boycott.

“We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just from fear they have of being the next company that we expose,” Starbuck said on X.

Brown-Forman will stop linking bonuses and pay to DEI progress, end its participation in an annual ranking of companies with an LGBTQ-friendly environment and throw out its plans to push for a more diverse group of suppliers, according to a copy of an internal memo posted on X.

The company previously tied 10% of executives’ short-term compensation to progress on DEI goals, according to a 2023 annual report.

The Kentucky-based company first launched its DEI goals in 2019.

“Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States,” company executives told employees in a letter on Wednesday.

“With these new dynamics at play, we must adjust our work to ensure it continues to drive business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment in which we find ourselves.”

Brown-Forman shares dipped less than 1% on Thursday.

Social activists called for big businesses to implement sweeping DEI programs just a few years ago – and now those same companies are responding to cries to cut those goals, largely led by Starbuck on X.

“I mean the name diversity, equity, inclusion – you would think that’s a good thing,” Mahoney Asset Management CEO Ken Mahoney told The Post. “But the way the companies express it, you squeeze out other potential employees that could have even better performance.”

Mahoney said companies including Tesla, Home Depot, Wayfair and Walmart have been phasing out their DEI leadership goals since consumers started threatening them with boycotts.

“It hurts their image because consumers feel like they’re not putting the best people in place, but rather keeping score,” Mahoney told The Post. “And for this group of consumers, we’re not born and raised this way.”

Just 38% of Americans want companies to take a stance on current events and policies, according to a Gallup-Bentley University survey.

Big news: The next company we were set to expose was @JackDaniels_US . They must have been tipped off by us going through employee LinkedIn pages. They just preemptively announced that they’ll be making these changes: • Ending participation in the @HRC ’s Corporate Equality… pic.twitter.com/0O1DkkIKrO — Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 22, 2024

And DEI goals have become more political, with conservative activists calling the programs unfair while liberal activists say the opposite.

In addition to DEI policies, Starbuck targets companies who participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s ranking of LGBTQ-friendly workplaces — which previously awarded Brown-Forman a perfect score of 100.

“Jack Daniels has clearly reached the sobering conclusion that being hyper focused on factors other than merit do not increase the bottom line,” psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert told The Post.

“In fact, we need not look any further than Target and Bud Light to see how making the move from that of retailers to social justice warriors does not lead to best outcomes, increased sales, and improved public image.”

Target lost $10 billion in market valuation in a 10-day period last year when customers boycotted the company after it launched its Pride collection, which included clothing for children.

A Target shareholder filed a lawsuit last year against the company after their shares lost $20,000 during the Pride collection controversy.

Bud Light sales tanked after the beer company launched an ad with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney last year.

Alpert said DEI policies can create a perception of unfairness and alienate employees.

He said his own patients have grown to resent these policies because they feel like they are being passed over for promotions and jobs on the basis of ethnic background or sexuality.

“If DEI initiatives were working we wouldn’t be having this discussion about them right now,” Alpert told The Post. “In fact, more companies would be hopping on the bandwagon – but they’re not.”

90-Foot-Tall Half-Monkey, Half-Human Statue Erected in Texas

A striking 90-foot-tall bronze statue of Lord Hanuman was recently unveiled in Texas.

The massive statue was raised on August 15 at Sugar Land’s Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, according to local NBC affiliate KCEN.

Hindus consider Hanuman an immortal being known for his devotion to the Hindu god Rama and virtues like self-control.

The Texas Hanuman figure, officially titled the “Statue of Union,” is now reportedly the third tallest statue in the continental U.S., trailing only the 151-foot tall Statue of Liberty in New York and the 110-foot tall Pegasus and Dragon statue in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

Conservatives, particularly those identifying themselves as Christians, quickly lashed out at images and videos of the statue, with some claiming that the figure was “demonic.”

“This is a Hindu statue they just built in TX. I rebuke this demonic filth in the mighty name of Jesus Christ,” @itsmorganariel, a self-described “Christian activist,” wrote while sharing a video on X, formerly Twitter.

This is a Hindu statue they just built in TX. I rebuke this demonic filth in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. pic.twitter.com/dXG1jrYPND — Morgan Ariel (@itsmorganariel) August 20, 2024

“A Hindu temple just unveiled a statue of their demonic Lord Hanuman … in Texas,” the End Time Headlines account wrote.

A Hindu temple just unveiled a statue of their demonic Lord Hanuman … in Texas. https://t.co/4AnF1Kyr9G pic.twitter.com/wihyEDAyQT — End Time Headlines (@EndTimeHeadline) August 20, 2024

“90-foot statue of Hindu demon Hanuman erected in Houston, Texas. It is now the third tallest statue in America,” wrote @AFpost, an account that purports to share news “from an America First perspective.”

90-foot statue of Hindu demon Hanuman erected in Houston, Texas. It is now the third tallest statue in America. Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/KEF4sbxzM4 — AF Post (@AFpost) August 20, 2024

“In Texas there is a 90 ft statue of Hanuman, a Hindu monkey god. What is the United States anymore? A nation with no culture, now that the enrichers are prominent in the census,” self-described “Christian nationalist” @JuanValder72733 wrote.

In Texas there is a 90 ft statue of Hanuman, a Hindu monkey god. What is the United States anymore? A nation with no culture, now that the enrichers are prominent in the census. pic.twitter.com/UvbU7ammXo — The Righteous Republic (@JuanValder72733) August 20, 2024

Satire website Not the Bee published an article on the statute that includes a warning about sparking “the wrath of the One True God by building massive demonic idols everywhere.”

Others defended the statue and lashed out at critics complaining about the fact that a private organization chose to install the figure on its own land.

“Christians & catholics etc…. getting offended by the Hanuman Monkey Bronze statue built on private lands in Southwest Houston but not getting ticked off about their churn numbers….? huh?” @datarade wrote on X. “You have an uncomfortable churn and decline problem that seems irreconcilable.”

Christians & catholics etc…. getting offended by the Hanuman Monkey Bronze statue built on private lands in Southwest Houston but not getting ticked off about their churn numbers….? huh? You have an uncomfortable churn and decline problem that seems irreconcilable. pic.twitter.com/PGQ51VIHVX — Kumar (@datarade) August 20, 2024

“All the fanatics coping over a statue on private temple land just means that the next one got 10ft taller,” wrote @OnTheNewsBeat.

All the fanatics coping over a statue on private temple land just means that the next one got 10ft taller — Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 20, 2024

“That’s lord Hanuman, who is a symbol of strength, loyalty, devotion, and perseverance … Worshipped by 15% of the world’s population (1.2 Billion Hindus) … And you ignorant, arrogant fool name it is a monkey statue. Do better,” @DealsDhamaka wrote in response to an X post from anti-transgender activist Oli London.

That’s lord Hanuman, who is a symbol of strength, loyalty, devotion, and perseverance … Worshipped by 15% of the world’s population (1.2 Billion Hindus) And you ignorant, arrogant fool name it is a monkey statue. Do better #jaibajrangbali https://t.co/J2aU6PS0X8 — Vineeth K (@DealsDhamaka) August 20, 2024

RFK JR. to Address the Nation Friday — Trump and Kennedy Will Both Be in Phoenix

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to drop out of the presidential race by the end of this week, ABC News reported.

Sources tell ABC News that Kennedy plans to endorse Donald Trump — but when asked directly by ABC News if he will be endorsing the former president, Kennedy said, “I will not confirm or deny that.”

“We are not talking about any of that,” he said.

Sources cautioned the decision is not yet finalized and could still change, with one source adding that Kennedy’s hope is, in part, to finalize things quickly in order to try to blunt momentum from the Democratic National Convention.

One possible scenario being discussed is for Kennedy to appear on stage with Trump at an event in Phoenix on Friday, though the sources cautioned that Kennedy’s thinking could always change and sources close to Trump say no plan for Friday is finalized.

Kennedy’s campaign manager, Amaryllis Fox, emailed senior staff on Wednesday morning thanking them for their hard work — but indicated a decision on the way forward had not been made, a source familiar with the email told ABC News.

“There are a couple potential paths forward, not only two, and I can bear witness to the care, examination that Bobby has invested in the consideration of each,” Fox wrote, according to the source.

A spokesperson for Kennedy posted on X that Kennedy will “address the nation” live on Friday to discuss his “path forward,” but offered no specifics.

Kennedy told ABC News regarding the Democratic convention and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, “I think it was a coronation, it’s not democracy. Nobody voted. Who chose Kamala? It wasn’t voters.”

He also complained about the way his campaign has been treated.

“She went in four weeks from being the worst liability for the Democratic Party to the second coming of Christ without giving one interview, without showing up for a debate, without a single policy that anyone thinks isn’t ridiculous,” he said. “It’s not democracy.”

NBC News reported :

The pending suspension of Kennedy’s campaign and subsequent expected endorsement of Trump has been an ongoing project of three key allies of Trump —Donald Trump Jr., former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and megadonor Omeed Malik.

The three men have worked behind the scenes in meetings and calls with both Trump and Kennedy to negotiate the exit and the endorsement, a source familiar with their efforts said on condition of anonymity to reveal sensitive internal campaign deliberations.

Trump’s campaign considers a potential endorsement as something of a work in progress, the source added.

Notably, Carlson, Malik and Trump Jr. were also influential in the selection of Vance as Trump’s running mate.

Biden Admin Admits It Overestimated Employment by Nearly 1 Million Jobs

The federal government overestimated the number of jobs in the U.S. economy by 818,000 between April 2023 and March 2024, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday, stoking fears of a slowdown in the U.S. economy.

Economists at Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo anticipated the government had overestimated job growth by at least 600,000 in that span, while economists at JPMorgan Chase had predicted a lesser decline of 360,000, according to Bloomberg. The downward revision follows a trend of the BLS overestimating the number of nonfarm payroll jobs added, with the cumulative number of new jobs reported in 2023 roughly 1.3 million less than previously thought as of February 2024.

“There’s been a clear pattern of economic data being revised down (worse) in the last several years,” E.J. Antoni, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It is very similar to the onset of the Great Recession, when the BLS was struggling to keep up with rapidly deteriorating economic conditions. Assumptions built into models no longer represented reality, although they may have just a year or two prior. ”

Something to watch this week: Preliminary annual payrolls revisions get released on Wednesday, covering April 2023 through March 2024. Economists expect jobs added to be revised down by as much as 1 mil. pic.twitter.com/dfuYp3yPm9 — Liz Young Thomas (@LizThomasStrat) August 19, 2024

Fears of a slowdown in the U.S. economy surged earlier in August following a disappointing July jobs report that saw unemployment rise to 4.3%, up 0.2% from June.

The rising specter of an American recession led to a global market sell-off, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dropping 12.40% on August 5, its largest decline since Black Monday in 1987. The S&P 500 also fell 3.00% in its worst single-day loss since late 2022.

Nevertheless, the indexes recouped much of their losses the following day, with the Nikkei and the S&P rising 10.2% and 1.0% respectively, according to ABC News.

Wednesday’s downward revision has also heightened concern that the Federal Reserve has waited too long to begin cutting interest rates, Bloomberg reported. If the FOMC hesitates to cut rates for too long, it could result in recession instead of a soft landing — an economic slowdown in which inflation is brought down without causing recession.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to hold its target federal funds rate between 5.25% and 5.50% in July, marking the eighth meeting in a row the FOMC has decided to keep rates at their current 23-year high.

“Wall Street is increasingly waking up to the fact that the economy post-covid has never been as good as the government bean counters claimed, and a recession may have already begun,” Antoni told the DCNF. “These revisions are a violent shove in the direction of reality.”

FBI Investigates Dems Having Maggots Slipped Into Their Breakfasts at Chicago Convention

The FBI has launched an investigation into whether maggots were deliberately slipped into the breakfasts of delegates at the Democratic National Convention.

Law enforcement swarmed the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago on Wednesday following reports of the insect attack.

Indiana delegate Tracy Boyd told WGNTV: ‘They protected us, of course, and turned it around in minutes.’

She said her group was notified that breakfast service would be briefly delayed due to the incident by pro-Palestine activists.

Since the start of the DNC, pro-Palestine rioters have caused chaos on the streets of Chicago. Several have been arrested for breaching the security perimeter near the United Center and as protests got violent near the Israeli Consulate.

‘I really do want to give a shout-out to the hotel staff and leadership,’ Boyd added.

All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, but ugly attacks like this have no place in our democracy,’ said Indiana Democratic Party spokesperson Sam Barloga.

‘We thank the security team for responding swiftly,’ he said.

It’s not the first maggot-related political incident in recent weeks.

At the end of July, a Pro-Palestine activist group shared stomach-turning images of what they said was a protest against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader addressed Congress amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which has sparked protests against the Jewish state all over the world.

Hours before his speech, the Palestinian Youth Movement’s X account shared a video they claimed showed Netanyahu’s table at the Watergate hotel in Washington DC full of maggots and critters.

The group wrote: ‘BON APPETIT!! MAGGOTS RELEASED ON THE CRIMINAL ZIONIST’S WAR TABLE!

‘Palestine protestors manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people.’

Jewish Insider claimed that several people in Netanyahu’s team were not aware of any protest involving maggots.

Jewish Insider reporter Lahav Harkov said: ‘I talked to several people in Netanyahu’s delegation who know nothing about this, so either the Palestinian Youth Movement is lying or somehow security managed to clean this up and stop the fire alarms incredibly quickly.’

CNN reported that the Secret Service was investigating the reports that protesters gained access to the hotel where the Israeli delegation is staying.

During his speech, Netanyahu spoke about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, highlighting how the two’s close ties have been instrumental in the Jewish nation’s fight against Palestinian terror group Hamas.

‘America and Israel must stand together,’ Netanyahu proclaimed, receiving a standing ovation in response.

‘When we stand together, something very simple happens, we win and they lose.’

The leader has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is eradicated following the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel by the terrorist who raped women, killed and beheaded children and took hundreds of Israelis hostage, including several Americans.

While Netanyahu was in D.C., protesters condemning the war in Gaza descended on Washington, chanting ‘Free, Free Palestine’ as some tried to block streets.

Protestors vandalized parts of Union Station, a short walk to the Capitol.

The American flag was taken off of a flag pole outside of the main train terminal.

Sicily Yacht Sinking: Tech Mogul Mike Lynch and Daughter Found Dead, Authorities Recover 5 Bodies

The bodies of Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter have been recovered from the wreck of the UK tech mogul’s sunken yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily, according to reports Wednesday.

Authorities have recovered the bodies of five of the six missing passengers aboard the $18 million luxury sailing ship, which sank in a sudden storm before dawn on Monday, according to authorities.

Lynch and daughter Hannah have been identified as two of the victims pulled from inside the wreckage, which is in 160 feet under water, according to the UK Telegraph.

The identities of the other three bodies have not been confirmed, though the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that two of the bodies are “large-built” — indicating they could be the missing men.

Cook Ricardo Thomas’ body, the first confirmed fatality, was discovered shortly after the Bayesian sank.

Including Lynch and his daughter, the missing passengers on the yacht are: New York City attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda, Morgan Stanley exec Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, and 14 others — including a 1-year-old child — managed to escape the sinking ship before it capsized.

All of the guests had gathered onboard the Bayesian to celebrate Lynch’s victory in an explosive US fraud trial. His guests included lawyers from the firm that represented him, as well as friends and allies who supported him through the legal battle.

The wealthy tech founder — who was once dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates” — was acquitted just two months ago by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges linked to the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. The sale quickly turned sour after HP wrote down Autonomy’s value by $8.8 billion.

The British-flagged Bayesian superyacht was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members as it was anchored off the port of Porticello and struck by what witnesses described as a sudden tornado.

Several search boats could be seen leaving the port of Porticello to go to the site of the sinking around 3:30 p.m. local time Wednesday as news of the latest discovery was shared, according to the reports.

14-Term House Democrat Bill Pascrell Dies at 87

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), who served in the House for more than 27 years, died Wednesday morning, his office announced.

Pascrell, 87, had been hospitalized in July to be treated for a respiratory infection and spent some time in intensive care. The congressman moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility earlier this month but was rushed back to the hospital days later.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America,” a statement on Pascrell’s account on the social platform X reads.

Pascrell’s death puts a bookend on his nearly three-decade tenure in the House, which he was first elected to in 1996. The New Jersey Democrat beat then-Rep. Bill Martini (R) to represent the Garden State’s 8th Congressional District. Redistricting moved him to the 9th Congressional District later in his career on Capitol Hill.

Pascrell served on the Ways and Means Committee and became a noted Trump critic during his later years in Congress. Before Congress, he was the mayor of Paterson, N.J., and served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly.

The deadline to replace Pascrell on the ballot is Aug. 29. Democratic county committee people from the 9th District will be tasked with selecting a new candidate, according to the New Jersey Monitor.

The nominee then will face Republican Billy Prempeh in the November general election.

Pascrell beat Prempeh by just more than 11 percentage points in 2022. The district broke for President Biden over former President Trump by more than 18 percentage points in 2020.

Pascrell, who was among the oldest members of the House, checked himself into the hospital on July 14 after coming down with a fever. His office later said he had a respiratory infection.

He was discharged from the hospital Aug. 7 and moved to a rehab facility. Days later, however, he was brought back to the hospital, multiple sources reported. It was not clear why he returned to the hospital.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle mourned Pascrell’s death.

“My heart is breaking right now. What profound sadness falls upon New Jersey for the loss of Bill Pascrell. I miss him and give all the love and strength I can muster to his family and community,” New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim (D) wrote on X.

Republican New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. called Pascrell “a great friend and colleague.”

“Bill was a dedicated public servant, a tireless advocate for his constituents, and a passionate supporter of firefighters. We worked closely together on many issues. My deepest condolences go out to his family during this difficult time. Bill will be dearly missed,” he added on X.

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