WOEING: Boeing division handling Trump fighter jet program braces for strike after union rejects contract offer.

The International Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), representing 3,200 employees across three St. Louis-area facilities, turned down a proposal that included a 20% general wage increase over four years, a $5,000 ratification bonus and expanded vacation time and sick leave benefits, according to Reuters.

IAM did not specify which parts of the offer led to the rejection, stating only that it “fell short of addressing the priorities and sacrifices” of its members.
…
Boeing’s defense division has been expanding operations in the St. Louis region to support the production of the U.S. Air Force’s new F-47 fighter jet, after securing the Pentagon contract earlier this year.

Developing…

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: Lockheed Has Something ‘Magical,’ Costly as Hell, and Totally Secret Up its Sleeve. “Defense giant Lockheed Martin just reported a rare — and yuge — quarterly loss of $1.6 billion, but CEO James D. Taiclet sounded unfazed thanks to a ‘magical’ classified aeronautics program he claims will create a ‘game-changing capability for our joint U.S. and international customers.'”

UPPING THE STAKES:

BREAKING 🔴

Within 48 hours, Jerusalem is expected to make a critical decision: if Hamxs refuses to release the hostages, Israel may move to formally annex parts of Gaza.

Unlike military withdrawals, which can be executed at any time, annexation is a near-permanent step. Under… pic.twitter.com/BSBRAWO35i

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 29, 2025

That map predates Israel’s 2005 exit from Gaza, presumably to make a point.

EXCLUSIVE: New Data Shows Arrests of Criminal Illegal Aliens Have Made a ‘Real Impact on Public Safety,’ DHS Official Announces.

During the first six months of 2025, homicides fell 17% across 30 U.S. cities when compared with the first half 2024, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, an independent research organization, which has just published its midyear report on crime trends in U.S. cities.

In the first six months of 2025, there were “10% fewer reported aggravated assaults, 21% fewer gun assaults, 10% fewer sexual assaults, and 3% more domestic violence incidents” when compared to the time last year, according to the report.

Robberies are also down 20% and carjacking fell by 24%. Vehicle theft was rising from the summer of 2020 through 2023, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, but the trend began reversing in 2024.

Since Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, the Trump administration has arrested nearly 300,000 illegal aliens and deported more than 239,000, according to DHS.

Fewer criminals, less crime — who’d a thunk it?

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: It’s Time Once Again for a Quick Jasmine Crockett-Bashing Break. “Sure, it’s the Republicans’ fault that she’s an off-putting windbag.”

SMART: Sen. Josh Hawley introduces bill to send tariff rebate checks to Americans.

Hawley submitted his legislation after pledging to do so Friday following President Donald Trump’s remark to reporters that he would be interested in sending a tariff-related rebate check to Americans.

“Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country,” Hawley said in a statement.

Hawley, who championed stimulus check legislation with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., amid the Covid pandemic in 2020, authored his new bill to echo that past effort. The program would be set up as a refundable tax credit, with the government sending checks this year should the bill advance through Congress and get Trump’s signature. The bill would ensure that the amount provided to each adult and dependent child is at least $600. It also allows for a larger rebate per person should tariff revenue exceed projections.

This one ought to be a no-brainer — which means very little in Washington, unfortunately.

ICYMI: Trump Doesn’t Tilt at Windmills — He Tears Them Down.

IT’S COMPLICATED: These wargames explored drone attacks on US military bases.

Since 2022, the U.S. Army’s Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, or JCO, and the RAND Corp. think tank have held six wargames on how to mitigate the drone threat.

“We are trying to understand the policies and authorities we have in place to prevent us from contending with a scenario like Operation Spiderweb,” said Paul Lushenko, an assistant professor at the U.S. Army War College who helped run the drone wargame.

Many of the details of these wargames are classified, but one key finding is that protecting domestic U.S. bases can’t be just the military’s job.

“The tabletop exercise emphasized the need for a framework to integrate, enable, and synchronize state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities into counter-drone operations at or near military bases,” noted an essay by the game’s designers. But this, in turn, raises a slew of jurisdictional and communication issues.

There’s no quick or easy fix, but Ukraine and Israel’s recent ops using smuggled drones ought to light some fires.

RAND PAUL: 186 Billion Reasons to Audit the Fed.

LIFE MOVES PRETTY FAST…:

Oh My!

A Ukrainian all aspect stealth OWA drone?

The cat is well and truly among the Western defense procurement bureaucracy pigeons. https://t.co/uDDJIrA8QX

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) July 24, 2025

GENOCIDE, STRAIGHT UP: Deadly Persecution of Christians Continues in Africa and Asia.

THIS IS STRAIGHT OUT OF KAFKA: Australia Wants To Jail Man For Holding Blank Sign.

I’M SO OLD, I REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS A WARMONGER BENT ON GETTING US INTO WWIII: Trump Declares ‘Peace’ Between Cambodia and Thailand.

HIS PATIENCE HAS RUN THIN: Trump reduces Russia deadline to end Ukraine invasion to ‘10 to 12 days’ from original 50: ‘No reason to wait that long.’

GOOD, I HATE THOSE DAMNED THINGS: Trump Doesn’t Tilt at Windmills — He Tears Them Down.

BUYERS, TOO: Eliminating capital gains on home sales would be a boon for older homeowners in high-cost states.

IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: Newsom’s Nonprofit Gets FireAid Funds — Because of Course It Does.

This kind of thing is nothing new: Gavin Newsom’s no-bid contracts to campaign donors raise troubling ethics questions.

THE SPENDING POWER OF THE AMERICAN CONSUMER IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE: Trump trade deals prove access to the U.S. still matters above all else. “No one fully valued how much leverage our market creates when it comes to trade negotiations until Trump.”

CHRIS QUEEN: Bold Prediction: Meet Georgia’s Next Senator.

THAT’S THE PEOPLE’S $3,700 DRESS RENTAL: Ocasio-Cortez Must Pay Another $2,700 for Met Gala Dress. “Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat and leader of her party’s progressive wing, personally paid about $1,000 to rent the dress and accessories. But in a report released on Friday, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee concluded her initial payment had fallen short of the fair market rate, violating House rules.”

ONE MUST HAVE A HEART OF STONE NOT TO LAUGH: Suppose They Threw a Protest for Stephen Colbert and (Almost) Nobody Came?

THAT’S EMBARRASSING: Moscow cancels Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg as nearly 100 drones reportedly downed across western Russia.

Russia canceled its annual Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg for the first time, citing security concerns amid a wave of drone attacks that disrupted airports and railways across western Russia overnight on July 27, local officials and Russian media reported.

The decision to cancel the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg, an event traditionally held on the last Sunday of July, was announced by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on July 27, who said it was made “for security reasons.”

Despite the cancellation, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly traveled to the city to mark the occasion.

The United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry said it is “almost certain” that Navy Day parades originally planned for July 27 were canceled across Russia due to force protection concerns. While the main naval parade in St. Petersburg was reduced in scale in 2024, this marks the first full cancellation since its inception in 2017.

The Russian Navy hasn’t fared well in the war against Ukraine, a nation without any major surface combatants or subs.

HMM: Marco Rubio’s Plans for 2028 Might Surprise You. “Last but not least, Lara asked him what’s been on the minds of many of us lately: What are his plans for 2028? His response? He thinks JD Vance should be the Republican nominee: ‘I think if he decides he wants to do that, and I think he’s doing a great job as vice president. He’s a close friend, and I hope he intends to do it. I know it’s kind of early.'”

WOEING: ‘He’s showing up.’ Things are getting better at Boeing under CEO Ortberg. Can he keep it going?

Ortberg, a longtime aerospace executive and an engineer whom the manufacturer plucked from retirement to fix the problem-addled company last year, is set this week to outline significant progress since he took the helm a year ago. Boeing reports quarterly results and gives its outlook on Tuesday.

So far, investors are liking what they’ve been seeing. Shares of the company are up more than 30% so far this year.

Wall Street analysts expect the aircraft manufacturer to halve its second-quarter losses from a year ago when it reports. Ortberg told investors in May that the manufacturer expects to generate cash in the second half of the year. Boeing’s aircraft production has increased, and its airplane deliveries just hit the highest level in 18 months.

It’s a shift for Boeing, whose successive leaders missed targets on aircraft delivery schedules, certifications, financial goals and culture changes that frustrated investors and customers alike, while rival Airbus pulled ahead.

“The general agreement is that the culture is changing after decades of self-inflicted knife wounds,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm.

Faster, please — we really can’t afford to lose Boeing.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: I Hope Trump Can Resuscitate Accountability in the Political Class. “I don’t think we’re going to see Obama perp-walked, but I would like to see Hillary Clinton’s already-tarnished legacy take a humiliating legal hit or two. If Brennan is the most vulnerable, the Dems will gladly offer him up if it will keep Barack and Hillary safe. My big hope at the moment is that the “Brennan as sacrificial lamb” ploy won’t save Hillary from, at the very least, some humiliation and embarrassment.”