China Preps For War: Spy Balloon Belies Much Larger Economic Warning Signs

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said Monday that six of its fighters were killed by a “Zionist bombing” near the border with Syria as fighting in Iraq amid the US-Israeli war against Iran continues to rage. The PMF, a coalition of mainly Shia militias that was formed in 2014 to fight ISIS and is part […]

The US military has completed a full withdrawal from Syria, Syrian officials told Middle East Eye on Thursday, marking the end of a military presence that first began with US special operations troops in 2015. So far, the withdrawal hasn’t been confirmed by the US military, but back in February, The Wall Street Journal reported […]

Chicago Approves 19% Hotel Tax To Fund Tourism Push The Chicago City Council has approved a plan to boost tourism marketing by raising hotel taxes. Under Ordinance 2026-0022544, the total tax rate on hotel rooms will increase from 17.5% to 19% in downtown and nearby areas, according to Fox News. The higher rate will apply to hotels with more than 100 rooms that choose to participate. The report says that alongside the tax increase, the council created a Tourism Improvement District (TID) to fund Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism marketing organization. Revenue...