🌎 Geopolitics 101: Israel Decapitates Iran

June 15, 2025
by RJ Hamster

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

1. 🇫🇷 France is cracking down on porn sites and social media. Earlier this year, France began requiring porn sites to verify their users were 18, prompting some sites to make themselves unavailable in French territory. Now, French President Emmanuel Macron wants to extend that policy to sites like X, Reddit, and Bluesky, which the government says make pornography available to minors. The efforts mirror American age-verification laws passed in two dozen states.

2. 🇪🇬 Egyptian forces blocked a pro-Gaza march. A group of pro-Gaza activists, including Westerners, had planned a 50-kilometer march through the Sinai Peninsula to the border of Gaza. But their trip came to an early halt when Egyptian forces arrested hundreds and deported dozens of the activists before they could get anywhere close to the Gaza border. Egyptian forces have kept the border with Gaza under close watch, and rarely allow anyone to get close to it.

3. 🇺🇸 America is set to reveal new tariff rates. President Donald Trump confirmed that his administration would reveal new tariff rates for various countries, which will come into effect on July 9, after the expiration of his 90-day reciprocal tariff pause. The president did not say which countries would be receiving new rates. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the date could be pushed back for countries negotiating in good faith.

4. 🇮🇩 Indonesia is skipping the G7 for a meeting with Putin. While Indonesia does not often receive attention, it is the most populous Muslim nation in the world and is located in a key location in Southeast Asia. Traditionally, it has taken an unaligned stance, though Russia has sought an airbase there for decades. President Subianto’s decision to meet with Putin instead could be a sign that its stance is changing.

INSIDER RADAR

Ali Khamenei on Israel’s attack

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Insiders behind the paywall: Ali Khamenei, Javier Milei, Marco Rubio, and Ukraine’s foreign minister.

HOAX TRACKER

“Giorgia Meloni threatens Italian democracy”

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QUICK AND IMPORTANT

The UK, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and Australia sanctioned Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two leaders of the Israeli religious right and ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet.
A Chinese carrier group sailed into Japan’s eastern waters for the first time ever.
The European Union is considering hiking the tobacco tax by 258 percent.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni successfully defeated a nationwide referendum that would have made it easier to obtain Italian citizenship.

INSIDER EXCLUSIVE

The land grab in Judea and Samaria with Israel Ganz

Israel Ganz is the governor of the Binyamin Regional Council, which oversees the largest Israeli-controlled area in Judea and Samaria — otherwise known as the West Bank.

A long-time advocate for Jewish life and security in Judea and Samaria, Ganz plays a major role in shaping…

Read Now

_JOIN THE DISCUSSION_

Should Israel take full control over Judea and Samaria?

💬 Share your thoughts

_{Comments are open for everyone.}

Israel devastates Iran’s nuclear ambitions

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Thursday night, Israel unleashed a historic and devastating assault across Iran.

Operation “Rising Lion” saw much of the country’s nuclear program destroyed and multiple top-level military officials killed. Since then, both sides have continued striking each other…

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_JOIN THE DISCUSSION_

Do you think Israel should push for regime change in addition to taking out Iran’s nuclear program?

💬 Share your thoughts

_{Comments are for members only.}

MEDIA BIAS SPOTTER

How left and right outlets frame France’s social media and porn crackdown

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Mentioned behind the paywall: Politico, Euronews, The European Conservative, and The New York Post.

THE DAILY DEBATE

📊 Should Israel push hard for regime change in Iran? (Also comment under the article!)

Results will be in tomorrow’s newsletter

👍 Yes

👎 No

🤔 Unsure

💬 Other (Comment)

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Does having RFK Jr. at the helm increase your trust in the US medical establishment?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 Yes (1,107)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👎 No (120)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤷‍♂️ It Depends (170)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💬 Other (24)

👍 Yes: “I believe he honestly cares about American’s health and will try to fix the complex problems and corruption we find ourselves in.” — Mary

👎 No: “Love him, but I’ll never trust the US medical system.” — Shelby

💬 Other: “It will take more time. They have a meeting later this month; maybe we’ll get a sense of their effectiveness and transparency afterward.” — Vicki

1,421 votes

POP QUIZ

What did China’s military just do for the first time?

Blockaded Taiwan

Flew over South Korean airspace

Entered Japan’s waters

Invaded the moon

Today’s newsletter was written by Anthony Constantini, Brandon Goldman, and Ari David. We scoured 100s of sources to bring you stories and insights you won’t find in the mainstream media.

🔎 Tip line: See something the media won’t touch? Got a story from your campus, community, or company that needs exposure? Send tips, questions, or ideas to tips@upward.news.

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🔴 Redshift: MAGA’s Israel Divide

RJ Hamster

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🌎 Geopolitics 101: Israel Decapitates Iran

🌎 Geopolitics 101: Israel Decapitates Iran

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

INSIDER RADAR

Ali Khamenei on Israel’s attack

HOAX TRACKER

“Giorgia Meloni threatens Italian democracy”

QUICK AND IMPORTANT

INSIDER EXCLUSIVE

The land grab in Judea and Samaria with Israel Ganz

Should Israel take full control over Judea and Samaria?

Israel devastates Iran’s nuclear ambitions

Do you think Israel should push for regime change in addition to taking out Iran’s nuclear program?

MEDIA BIAS SPOTTER

How left and right outlets frame France’s social media and porn crackdown

THE DAILY DEBATE

📊 Should Israel push hard for regime change in Iran? (Also comment under the article!)

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Does having RFK Jr. at the helm increase your trust in the US medical establishment?

POP QUIZ

What did China’s military just do for the first time?

Unlock full access

Like this:

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🌎 Geopolitics 101: Israel Decapitates Iran

🌎 Geopolitics 101: Israel Decapitates Iran

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

INSIDER RADAR

Ali Khamenei on Israel’s attack

HOAX TRACKER

“Giorgia Meloni threatens Italian democracy”

QUICK AND IMPORTANT

INSIDER EXCLUSIVE

The land grab in Judea and Samaria with Israel Ganz

Should Israel take full control over Judea and Samaria?

Israel devastates Iran’s nuclear ambitions

Do you think Israel should push for regime change in addition to taking out Iran’s nuclear program?

MEDIA BIAS SPOTTER

How left and right outlets frame France’s social media and porn crackdown

THE DAILY DEBATE

📊 Should Israel push hard for regime change in Iran? (Also comment under the article!)

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Does having RFK Jr. at the helm increase your trust in the US medical establishment?

POP QUIZ

What did China’s military just do for the first time?

Unlock full access

Share this:

Like this:

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