JD Vance’s 2028 strategy is starting to take shape
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Vice President JD Vance denied that there was an “intense rivalry” between him and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And yet, reports and speculations about tensions between them continue to emerge, with the Rubio camp allegedly spreading rumours that Vance was thinking about pulling out of the presidential campaign before it even starts In response, perhaps, during the past two weeks, the vice president has stepped out of his routine public persona that usually avoids controversy to make bold statements critical of Israel. Rubio, on the other hand, has continued to hold the party line of unconditional support for Israel. While Vance has led efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran, which have rattled Israel, Rubio has spearheaded efforts to pressure the Lebanese government into an agreement on Israel’s terms. By becoming the face of Republican scepticism of Israel and clashing with his likely presidential election rival Rubio, Vance appears to be charting his own way to the presidency – one that distances the vice president from what increasingly seem to be unpopular foreign policy positions. Rubio, until recently, had been on the upswing, assigned ever-more important responsibilities by Trump. He has been a leading voice within the administration for a hawkish approach that has encompassed military action from Venezuela to Iran, outweighing the counsel of the more isolationist Vance. When it comes to Israel, Rubio has made a point of being as public and proactive as possible in his support for that country and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, supporting his appeal for the US to enter the war with Iran, and even going so far as to put his name on determinations leveraging claims of national security threats to deport foreign students critical of Israel. Advertisement While the bulk of his public statements have been directed at the Netanyahu government, it is hard not to read some of Vance’s recent comments as being directly responsive to Rubio’s actions not only abroad, but at home as well. As Vance put it, “…pro-Israel people in the United States make two critical mistakes. One, on the one hand, is not delineating between America’s interest and Israeli interests because they’re not the same. But the second is always conflating criticism of a particular government with Jew hatred, because if everything is Jew hatred, then nothing is Jew hatred.” But, if Vance is creating space between himself and Rubio (including, apparently, by eschewing the increasingly weaponised terminology of “antisemitism”), it must also be the case that there is a political case for his doing so. That case has yet to be tested on the Republican side, where the political elites well beyond Rubio continue to move in lockstep with Israel’s Netanyahu. But Vance, as ever, is reading the base. The same polls that show an absolute collapse of Democratic grassroots support for Israel also show an unmistakable weakening of that support in the Republican base, with one recent survey finding that 57 percent of Republicans under 50 now hold negative views of Israel. Despite the inability of Republican elected officials to rally support behind their criticism of Israel (neither of the two most visible examples, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie will re-enter Congress next year), the demand signal for more frank conversation has propelled right-wing commenters like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens to ever-greater prominence. Looking into the social media landscape, Republican questioning of the Israel relationship – particularly under the banner question of whether it represents “America First” or “Israel First,” is inescapable. Which is not to say it will be an easy path. As sitting vice president, Vance must defer to Trump; while the latter is currently frustrated with Netanyahu, there are no guarantees that the relationship will not warm up between now and 2028 – or that if Israel elects a new leader this autumn, that that person would not be able to rebuild much of Israel’s political capital in Washington. And similarly, if Vance’s stance on Israel helps him capture the “America First” – which is no easy task given the cohesion within that movement of the Christian Zionist camp that remains strongly pro-Israel – he may then have to contend with a Democratic competitor who seizes the Israel-sceptic mantle more credibly. Advertisement Or not. It is still early, but the favoured nominee on the Democratic side appears to be California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose few forays into commentary on Palestine and Israel have quickly been walked back to appease the pro-Israel backers of the party establishment. Indeed, the Democrats will have their own complicated, and likely ugly, battle to fight when it comes to Israel. What does appear certain, however, is that Israel will be a wedge issue in the upcoming election – and in the wake of the failed Iran war and increasingly unpopular attacks on free speech, both greatly driven by the government of Israel or its aligned lobbies, there is an opening here that Vance, given his competition with Rubio, would have been foolish to ignore. So is Vance’s public criticism of Israel – and pro-Israel voices within his own party genuine, or calculated? As Vance put it in his book Hillbilly Elegy, “I don’t believe in epiphanies. I don’t believe in transformative moments, as transformation is harder than a moment. I’ve seen far too many people awash in a genuine desire to change only to lose their mettle when they realised just how difficult change actually is.” Until now, little is harder in Republican politics than to go against the prevailing dogma on Israel. And while Vance has long demonstrated what might be termed isolationist tendencies, there is no reason to think that his recent comments represent an epiphany. Rather, like any politician, he is reading the tea leaves, and sensing an opportunity on the back of a change that is filtering across American public opinion. Vance may not be committed to driving that change. But he may be smart enough
Putin says Ukraine proposed halt to deep strikes
NewsFeed Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine has proposed a mutual halt to long-range strikes and a meeting with Kyiv’s leadership. But, though he says he is considering the proposal, he believes the deal would benefit Ukraine more than Russia. Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Australian man charged with murder after Thai girl’s body found in suitcase
NewsFeed Australian national Simon Peter Carman has been charged with murder after the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla was found inside a suitcase. CCTV footage appears to show the pair entering a hotel together and Carman leaving hours later with only a suitcase. Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Venezuelans angry with government as time runs out to rescue survivors
NewsFeed Four days after twin quakes left 1,450 dead and nearly 69,000 missing in Venezuela, residents and volunteers say they feel abandoned by the government as they race to save lives from the rubble. Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Which teams are in World Cup last-32 knockouts, and what is the schedule?
All the qualified teams and match schedule for the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on Sunday. Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026 The round of 32 bracket of the 2026 World Cup is complete. After 72 group games featuring 48 teams, it’s time for the knockouts. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Below is the full list of qualified teams and the last-32 schedule: Teams in the round of 32 The top two teams from each of the 12 groups along with the eight best third-placed teams, have advanced from the group stage to the round of 32. They are: Group A: Mexico, South Africa Group B: Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina Group C: Brazil, Morocco Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay Group E: Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden Group G: Belgium, Egypt Group H: Spain, Cape Verde Group I: France, Norway, Senegal Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria Group K: Colombia, Portugal, Democratic Republic of the Congo Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana Cape Verde is the smallest nation to reach the World Cup knockouts [Phil Noble/Reuters] Round of 32 full schedule Sunday, June 28 South Africa vs Canada, noon (19:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium, California, United States Monday, June 29 Brazil vs Japan, noon (17:00 GMT) – Houston Stadium, Texas, US Germany vs Paraguay, 4:30pm (20:30 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Massachusetts, US Netherlands vs Morocco, 7pm (01:00 GMT on Tuesday) – Monterrey Stadium, Mexico Tuesday, June 30 Ivory Coast vs Norway, noon (17:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Texas, US France vs Sweden, 5pm (21:00 GMT) – New York/New Jersey Stadium, US Mexico vs Ecuador, 7pm (01:00 GMT on Wednesday) – Mexico City Stadium, Mexico Vinicius Jr and Brazil face Japan in a blockbuster round of 32 match [Paul Childs/Reuters] Wednesday, July 1 Advertisement England vs DR Congo, noon (16:00 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Georgia, US Belgium vs Senegal, 1pm (20:00 GMT) – Seattle Stadium, Washington, US USA vs Bosnia, 5pm (00:00 GMT on Thursday) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California, US Thursday, July 2 Spain vs Austria, noon (19:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium Portugal vs Croatia, 7pm (23:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada Switzerland vs Algeria, 8pm (03:00 GMT on Friday) – BC Place Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Friday, July 3 Australia vs Egypt, 1pm (18:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium Argentina vs Cape Verde, 6pm (22:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Florida, US Colombia vs Ghana, 8:30pm (01:30 GMT on Saturday) – Kansas City Stadium, Missouri, US Lionel Messi and Argentina will start their 2026 World Cup knockout campaign against minnows Cape Verde [Paul Ellis/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
Iran war day 121: Iran attacks Bahrain, Kuwait as US strikes near Hormuz
US strikes Iran for a second day near Strait of Hormuz as Bahrain sounds sirens and Kuwait activates air defences. Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026 The United States has bombed Iran for a second straight day, striking Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh and Qeshm Island after a drone attack on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, while Kuwait said its air defences were responding to “hostile missile and drone threats”, raising heightened tensions across the region. Meanwhile, Israel carried out new attacks on southern Lebanon, killing at least one person, just a day after reaching a framework agreement with the Lebanese government aimed at ending the fighting. Here is what has happened as the conflict enters its 121st day: In Iran Iran sees Strait of Hormuz as key leverage: Tehran-based political analyst Abas Aslani said Iran views the waterway as a deterrent against future US attacks. “Iran sees [the strait] as leverage to stop the repetition of any new round of aggression against the country,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that any attempt to change the situation there “by force” is “unacceptable for Tehran”. IRGC says it hit US forces in the Gulf: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched ballistic missiles and drones at the US Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain in response to US strikes on five coastal locations in Iran. The Gulf Bahrain sounds sirens, Kuwait activates air defences: Bahrain urged people to head to the nearest safe place after sirens sounded, while Kuwait said it was responding to “hostile missile and drone threats”. A US official told the Reuters news agency there have been no reported US casualties or major damage so far. Oman joins Gulf states in condemning attack on Bahrain: Oman has condemned the Iranian drone attack on Bahrain, expressing full solidarity with the kingdom and rejecting any actions that threaten regional security. Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE also condemned the attack. Advertisement In the US White House signals tougher stance: Reporting from Washington, DC, Manuel Rapalo says President Donald Trump’s warning that the US could be forced to “complete the job” if Iran continues its attacks raises new concerns about further escalation. Expert warns US-Iran conflict could escalate: Retired US naval officer Harlan Ullman says the latest “tit-for-tat” attacks between Washington and Tehran risk “getting out of hand”. He added that a surge in oil prices could pressure President Donald Trump to return to negotiations. US congressman says Iran strikes violate war powers measure: Democratic Representative Ro Khanna condemned the renewed US attacks on Iran as a “blatant violation” of the War Powers Resolution passed by Congress, warning: “Trump must stop this war now, or we will take him to court.” In Israel Netanyahu hails Lebanon deal as blow to Iran: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the US-mediated framework agreement with Lebanon a “historic accomplishment” and “a massive blow to Iran and Hezbollah”. The deal, the biggest breakthrough between the neighbours in decades, aims to end hostilities while allowing Israel to maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed. Ben-Gvir calls Lebanon deal a ‘historic mistake’: Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the agreement gives Hezbollah the “lifeline it has begged for” and argued Israel should “crush”, not “anaesthetise”, the group. He said he opposed the deal in the Israeli cabinet and would continue to do so. In Lebanon Trump congratulates Lebanon after signing ceremony: Lebanon’s presidency says President Donald Trump congratulated President Joseph Aoun after the signing ceremony for the US-brokered framework agreement with Israel and pledged US support for Lebanon’s economy and armed forces. Aoun urged Washington to ensure Israel complies with the deal and withdraws its troops from southern Lebanon. The Hezbollah group has rejected the Lebanon-Israel deal, calling it “null and void”. Adblock test (Why?)
Anger grows in Venezuela as citizens blocked from aiding earthquake rescue
NewsFeed Anger is mounting in Venezuela after the military barred citizens from entering zones devastated by Wednesday’s twin earthquakes. As Teresa Bo explains, thousands of people have travelled to help rescue victims, not trusting the government to save survivors in time. Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Colombia top World Cup 2026 group after breathless 0-0 draw with Portugal
By AFP and Reuters Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026 Colombia and Portugal played out a breathless 0-0 draw to a wall of sound at Miami Stadium, with both teams advancing to the last 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the top two in Group K. The Colombians will rue their profligacy in front of goal on Saturday, but take encouragement from dominating quality European opposition for large periods as they head off to Kansas City as group winners to take on Ghana on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Portugal, who needed to win to top the group, go north to Toronto to play Croatia on Thursday, knowing they have not quite yet found a way to blend all the talent in their squad into an effective team. The match started to a cacophony of noise from the massed ranks of yellow-shirted South Americans, and the decibel levels went up a notch when striker Jhon Cordoba headed the ball over the bar in the first minute. Jhon Arias caused Portugal problems every time he ran at them, and he set Cordoba free in the 17th minute, the big target man unleashing a rocket of a shot that keeper Diogo Costa did well to stop. After a lovely flowing move five minutes later, winger Arias took the shot himself and screwed the ball towards the far corner of the net, only for Ruben Neves to arrive just in time to flick it off the line. Colombia struggled to clear their lines cleanly sometimes, however, and it was this frailty that allowed Portugal their best chances towards the end of the first half. Bruno Fernandes found himself free in front of goal in the 39th minute, with his shot bringing a fine point-blank save out of Camilo Vargas in the Colombia goal. Advertisement Three minutes before half-time, Joao Felix cleverly chested the ball over a defender and flashed an acrobatic volley over the bar. Colombia pressed forward, looking for the goal their dominance deserved, and both Gustavo Puerta and playmaker James Rodriguez troubled the goalkeeper with shots before the break. Portugal attacked more after the break, but it was Colombia who continued to carve out the best chances, with Arias setting up substitute Richard Rios for a shot that went wide. Arias curled a shot at goal, which was well saved by Costa, and Puerta drilled another chance wide just before the hydration break. A Rodriguez volley was deflected away from its target in the 73rd minute, just before he and Arias were substituted, but Colombia continued to tear forward at every opportunity. Davinson Sanchez thought he had scored the winner with a far-post header a minute from time, but it was called back for a very tight offside after a VAR check. Rafael Leao went close to winning it for Portugal in stoppage time with a shot that flashed across goal, before the referee finally called time on the entertaining match, played out in front of a crowd of 64,478 sweltering in the Miami evening heat. Portugal’s totem Cristiano Ronaldo, booed every time he touched the ball and starved of service, had barely a sniff of a chance, his one shot on target a long-range free kick that went straight to the goalkeeper. Wissa sends DR Congo into last-32 clash with England In the group’s other game, Yoane Wissa scored twice as the Democratic Republic of the Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and qualified for the last 32 of the World Cup for the first time in their history on Saturday. They will meet England after registering their first-ever World Cup win. Eldor Shomurodov’s lob over Lionel Mpasi gave Uzbekistan a perfect start in Atlanta. But Newcastle striker Wissa levelled from the penalty spot, before Fiston Mayele’s goal sent the mainly Congolese crowd into a frenzy. Wissa rounded off a historic night for the Africans with a fine strike in stoppage time for his third goal of the tournament. Earlier on Saturday, Jude Bellingham dragged England through a stubborn Panama test, scoring and setting up Harry Kane in a 2-0 win that sent them into the World Cup round of 32 as Group L winners. England were made to work for more than an hour in rainy New Jersey, before Bellingham broke the deadlock, crossing for Kane to head in his 11th World Cup goal, lifting him above Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament. Advertisement Meanwhile, Nikola Vlasic headed in Luka Modric’s 83rd-minute corner to lift Croatia to a 2-1 victory over Ghana on Saturday and a second-place finish in World Cup Group L. Vlasic’s perfect finish off the inside of the left post came 10 minutes after Derrick Luckassen had pulled Ghana level on his international debut, with half the time in between spent on a VAR review determining whether he was onside. Petar Sucic scored early for Croatia, who needed only a draw to reach the last 32. Claiming the second-place spot guaranteed the 2022 third-place finishers a meeting with Portugal, the second-placed team in Group K, on Thursday in Toronto. Adblock test (Why?)
Gulf countries attacked after US launches second round of strikes on Iran
NewsFeed Iran has attacked US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain following US strikes on its coastal sites and threats from US President Trump to ‘complete the job’, raising fears of further escalation and the collapse of peace negotiations. Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo reports from Washington DC. Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
With water cuts looming in Arizona in US, locals fight data centres
Every morning Marisol Winfrey Herrera’s three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Jo reminds her to turn off the tap while washing her hands and brushing her teeth. When they leave home, she reminds her mother to keep a bottle of ice with them to offer it to homeless people, who they sometimes find wilting in the Tucson heat. At first, they press the ice-filled bottles on the homeless folks to help them revive, then they offer the water to drink and hydrate. At her daycare, Jo is taught water-saving habits to combat Tucson’s soaring heat. It is what prompted Herrera to join No Desert Data Center, a residents’ group that opposes two large data centres coming up on either side of Tucson – the $3.6bn project on the city’s southeast edge and a $5bn project on its northwest side in the town of Marana, together known as Project Blue. The group believes these would consume more water and power than the city set in the Sonoran Desert can afford. “We are in the middle of a 30-year drought, which is now an extreme drought,” says Lisa Shipek, co-executive director of the Watershed Management Group, a Tucson-based nonprofit. “Water was a unifying theme in our campaign. The Colorado River cuts are looming, and this project would take water away,” Herrera told Al Jazeera. Water flows in the Colorado River, which provides much of Tucson’s water through the Central Arizona Project canal system, have dropped by 20 percent since the year 2000 compared with water flows in the 20th century due to climate change, melting snow caps and warmer weather, making water cuts to Tucson imminent as the state could face as much as 77 percent water cuts. Advertisement “We say Not One Drop for data centres,” says Herrera, speaking of the campaign’s particularly emotive appeal for residents as water cuts get deeper and temperatures rise, with Tucson recording the warmest weather in 125 years last July and August. Beale Infrastructure, a San Francisco-based company that is owned by investment management company Blue Owl in New York, had asked the city of Tucson to acquire 290 acres that were outside city limits for Project Blue. That would make it the city’s largest water consumer and among its largest power consumers. Beale did not respond to an emailed request for comment. But at city council meetings, City Councillor Kevin Dahl began seeing hundreds of residents turn up to express their opposition to the project. “Not for many issues do we get so much response,” he said. Herrera was among those who went. Pitting environment against unions At council meetings, Beale executives proposed that Project Blue could be the economic engine the city needed. It would create a few thousand jobs for construction workers, ironmongers, plumbers and other such workers during the construction of the project and a few hundred after that. “Sometimes people travel as far as Phoenix for work,” Dahl said about Arizona’s largest city, which is nearly a two-hour drive from Tucson. The project could bring jobs closer. Beale also expected the project to generate nearly $250m in taxes for the city, county and state in the first 10 years. This left councillors with a difficult decision to make, weighing the project’s economic benefits against allocating it a share of the city’s increasingly scarce water and power. Tucson residents raised questions in a town hall about whether proposed rate hikes by TEP, their power utility, is due to capacity expansion for data centres [Photo Courtesy Kathleen Dreier] Activists also raised concerns about whether Tucson Electric Power (TEP), the power utility, would raise rates for consumers so it could expand capacity to provide power for Project Blue. After raising rates by 10 percent in 2023, TEP proposed a 14 percent rate hike in June 2025 for grid upgrades made in the previous year. Lee Ziesche, an activist from the Democratic Socialists of America who is campaigning to make TEP a public utility, said Project Blue could “lead to higher temperatures and higher rates” because of the heat island effect of the air conditioners and higher rates for power. She often hears from residents that a rate hike would make it hard to pay bills or put on air conditioning, even as the number of 100-degree Fahrenheit (37.8 degree-Celsius) days has increased in Tucson, which is among the hottest cities in the United States. Advertisement The same concerns of needing ramped-up air conditioning would plague data centres too, experts say. “The viability of data centres in Arizona will always be subject to climate change and heat risks,” says Kate Gordon, chief executive of California Forward, a think tank that works on a sustainable economy. “The heat in Arizona makes energy less efficient, and servers heat up, so projects will need higher amounts of water and cooling, which developers have to balance against a possibly lower real estate and labour cost,” she said. “I am always amazed at how climate does not figure in business plans.” Dahl and Andres Cano, a supervisor in Pima County, in which Tucson is located, had discussions with Beale representatives. “We thought they would go elsewhere if the city did not acquire the land” for the project, Dahl said. Cano also came away with the same impression. In August 2025, Tucson councillors voted unanimously not to acquire the land for the project or provide it with water and power. In December, Cano became one of only two supervisors in Pima County to oppose the project, and it was approved for construction in an unincorporated part of the county. “It will create short-term construction jobs for what will ultimately be a project with few wins,” Cano said. “This pitted the environment and unions, but industry is not for unions. This will have just about 100 jobs when it is done.” With no access to Tucson’s water supply, Beale decided to cool its servers with air conditioners rather than water and use a closed-loop water system, so it would recycle and reuse water. But