Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, one of President Joe Biden’s most vocal defenders when the former president faced questions about his mental acuity, is now claiming President Donald Trump has dementia.
Pritzker made the remarks during a June 29 interview with CNN host Caitlin Collins while discussing Trump’s criticism of democratic socialism.
Trump had argued that socialism represents a similar threat to the country than historical crises.
“The man is continually suffering from dementia. I don’t think he really understands what he’s saying,” Pritzker stated, providing no evidence for his claim.
Gov. JB Pritzker says he thinks President Trump has dementia. "I really think that there's something genuinely wrong with him," he says, while adding, "I'm not a doctor." pic.twitter.com/Y2vrFvScz8
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) July 1, 2026Pritzker’s comments mark a stark contrast from how he defended Biden during the 2024 presidential campaign, when questions about the former president’s mental fitness intensified.
Pritzker served as one of Biden’s fiercest campaign surrogates and even sat on his national advisory board.
For instance, when Special Counsel Robert Hur raised concerns about Biden’s memory, Pritzker quickly went on the defensive, going as far as accusing Hur of being politically motivated.
“I’ve been with the President of the United States many times. He is on the ball. The man knows more than most of us have forgotten,” Pritzker claimed in February 2024.
"Joe Biden is on the ball. The man knows more than most of us have forgotten."
- JB Pritzker in 2024. https://t.co/wBEn8sWFOP pic.twitter.com/pUCJRd0T2t
In 2023, ahead of the presidential election, Pritzker downplayed questions about Biden’s fitness for office, praising him as “a gem of a human” while describing Trump as “cruel, cowardly and small.”
Pritzker doubled down on his backing of Biden even after the former president’s disastrous performance in the 2024 presidential debate.
What do Illinois Democrats think of Joe Biden looking for a dead Congresswoman in a crowd yesterday?
JB Pritzker: “President Biden is doing the job that we asked him to do. He rescued us with the American Rescue Plan… I’m happy to support President Biden when he runs in 2024.” pic.twitter.com/0YP5cHfPg6
“Listen: Joe Biden is our nominee. I am for Joe Biden,” the Illinois governor claimed. “I’ve been campaigning for Joe Biden. I think you’ve seen I’ve got dates scheduled to go to Indiana, to Ohio for Joe Biden.”
Illinois Gov JB Pritzker told CNN's Kasie Hunt this week that Joe Biden either needed to stay in the 2024 race or he should've dropped out a lot sooner to allow for a primary. I asked him why he didn't say that when it mattered. pic.twitter.com/p2jqwDITtP
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) May 15, 2025Pritzker’s attacks are in line with a broader Democratic strategy of weaponizing Trump’s age after years of dismissing concerns about Biden, despite mounting video evidence.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/09/2026 - 07:20Update: Graham Platner, the Democratic Party nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, announced Wednesday that he's suspending his campaign. The move comes two days after Politico reported allegations of rape against him by a former girlfriend. He posted an emotional video explaining his decision.
"And I just want to make it clear this is all false," Platner said.
"The things that have been claimed did not happen; it's not real."
He described the past few days as an ordeal no regular person should have to survive, a normal guy suddenly thrust into a spotlight he says he never wanted. He accused the media and the political establishment of skipping the investigation entirely and jumping straight to a verdict.
"I learned about this through press inquiries with no time to truly respond, no time for investigations before a corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury and executioner," he said.
"Accusations are supposed to be the beginning of things, not the end."
Platner claimed the allegations surfaced now for a specific reason. His official nomination locks in on July 13, and he says this was the last window anyone had to knock him off the ballot before that happened.
"I only have until July 13th until I am officially the nominee. This was the last week to try to get me off of the ballot, and that's why this is occurring," he said.
He argued the real threat was never the allegations themselves, but what the political establishment plans to do with them. Cut off his fundraising. Cut off his voter data. Starve the campaign of everything it needs simply to function. He made his read on their real preference painfully clear.
"They would rather see Susan Collins win than have me be the next senator from Maine," he said.
He leaned heavily on his June 9 primary win, in which he pulled in more votes than any primary candidate in Maine's history, to argue that whatever happens next should be decided by voters, not party insiders in Washington.
"It needs to be open, transparent, and Democratic," he said.
"Party apparatchiks are not the ones to make these decisions."
Then, the announcement itself.
"We are suspending campaign operations," Platner said, adding that he intends to file paperwork to formally withdraw from the race.
He framed the decision as anything but an admission of guilt; instead, he blamed outside forces for making it impossible for the campaign to continue functioning, even after beating what he called one of the most entrenched political systems in the world just weeks earlier.
"We went toe-to-toe with one of the most entrenched political systems in the history of the world, and we won," Platner said.
"We beat them on June 9th in overwhelming numbers."
Before signing off, he insisted the movement, and the ballot line his name currently occupies, still belongs to the voters who built it, not to party leadership in Washington.
"But now the ball is in the court of the democratic establishment," Platner said.
"My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine."
Platner closed by thanking his supporters.
"From the bottom of my heart, thank you," Platner said. "Thank all of you and keep fighting. We're gonna win someday."
My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. pic.twitter.com/RKVyLU76tm
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) July 9, 2026* * *
As we detailed earlier, Graham Platner is supposed to be finished. The Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine faces a rape allegation, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have pulled their endorsements, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has told him they won't spend any money on his campaign if he stays on the ballot. He has until Monday to withdraw before Maine law locks Democrats into running him in November, whether they like it or not.
By every conventional measure, Platner should be packing his bags.
Instead, he is negotiating. Platner has reportedly told the Maine Democratic Party that any replacement must match his own ideological commitments, a demand that has left party strategists sputtering. So far, Rep. Valli Geiger (D-Rockland) says Platner is urging her to try and take his place on the ballot. Dan Pfeiffer, once a senior adviser to Barack Obama, wrote on his Substack that continuing the race is not an option for Platner and predicted a "zombie campaign marching on to certain defeat with no support and no resources." Chris Cillizza was blunter on X, telling Platner he has "zero leverage."
Platner trying to negotiate who will replace him suggests he has a deep misunderstanding of his current situation.
You have zero leverage, dude.
Pfeiffer and Cillizza are wrong, and the reason exposes something uncomfortable about the position Democrats have put themselves in.
Platner does not have to withdraw, and the reason he holds most of the cards is simple: the party has nothing it can offer him to leave quietly. The traditional exit ramp for a troubled nominee involves some quiet exchange, a future appointment, a promise of support down the road, and a graceful landing somewhere else. None of that works for Platner because dropping out after winning the nomination, with his baggage, makes him too damaged.
His campaign has also functioned as a vehicle for the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization working methodically to take over the Democratic Party from the inside rather than build a third option outside it.
The other detail Pfeiffer and Cillizza skip past is that Platner won his primary fair and square, and voters knew what they were getting. The Nazi tattoo, the self-described communism, the sexting with multiple women, his old presence on a site associated with child predators, a credible accusation that he abused a former girlfriend: all of it was public before the primary.
When the first abuse allegation surfaced during the campaign, Democratic officials rallied around him, and his campaign posted its best single fundraising day of the race. Sanders campaigned with him at "Fight Oligarchy" rallies. Rep. Ro Khanna flew to Portland to stand beside him. The New York Times even sat on a rape accusation against Platner despite believing the allegation was credible. None of that was a secret to the people now demanding his exit. What changed was the polling.
Platner had already gone from +6 in the polls to +1 after the sexting allocations. And today's allegations are a magnitude of order more serious. pic.twitter.com/MAxGoSuslc
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) July 6, 2026Democrats spent months rationalizing their support for a candidate they now describe in private as a liability, largely because he looked like their best shot at unseating Sen. Susan Collins, a race the party repeatedly said was central to retaking the Senate majority. For Platner, as long as the numbers held, concerns about his character were excused. Now that the race has tightened, the establishment wants him gone, and it is dressing up a polling problem as a moral awakening.
The Maine Democratic Party is even starting to develop a process to replace Platner, if he withdraws.
"While the Platner campaign remains focused on distracting from the job of defeating Susan Collins in November with false accusations against us, the Maine Democratic Party remains hyper focused on developing a representative, transparent and inclusive process to select a new nominee when he chooses to withdraw from the race," Devon Murphy-Anderson, Executive Director of the Maine Democratic Party, said in a statement. "While we may be frustrated with Graham Platner's continued efforts to manipulate this process, we are so thankful for his supporters and all of their efforts to defeat Susan Collins - they are a vital part of our Party and deserve to participate in an open process to select Platner's replacement."
Congratulations to national media on politically assassinating Graham Platner. If he drops out and Democratic Party tries to give us two candidates who are both for Israel and corporate pacs, they'll face a revolt like they've never seen. Days of bullshit false choices are over.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) July 7, 2026But, Platner understands the mechanics of his own situation better than his critics do. He has every reason to believe he can either insist on the candidate of his choice to replace him (he’s reportedly urging Maine State Representative Valli Geiger, (D-Rockland) to take his place, but there’s no guarantee the party will back her) or stay in and carry on by simply denying the allegations, and his DSA-aligned supporters are already framing the pressure campaign as a hit job
If Platner drops out, his political career ends with him.
He knows that.
If he stays, national Democrats face an unpleasant choice: abandon a Senate seat they have spent a year calling essential, or hold their noses and back a nominee they cannot control and increasingly cannot defend.
Maine primary voters already absorbed most of what is now scandalizing Washington, and forcing Platner off the ballot risks convincing his base that the accusations are simply the latest excuse from a party establishment that never wanted him in the first place. Platner's defiance is a clear sign that he knows he has all the leverage here, and the establishment must decide what to do about it.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/09/2026 - 06:58Who says price isn't a rationing mechanism?
Rather than sink billions into long-term oil sands projects, Alberta energy companies are increasingly chasing the Clearwater formation, a conventional heavy oil field that allows producers to capitalize on rising crude prices far more quickly, according to Bloomberg.
The surge in activity has been significant. Alberta approved 1,764 drilling licenses between Jan. 1 and June 12, the busiest start to a year since 2014. Roughly one-fifth of those permits were for Clearwater wells, marking the highest proportion ever recorded.
The formation is increasingly changing how producers respond to higher oil prices. Traditional oil sands projects often require years of planning, construction, and billions of dollars before generating a single barrel of crude. Clearwater, by contrast, produces a similar heavy grade of oil using horizontal multilateral wells, eliminating the need for expensive steam-assisted extraction and allowing companies to ramp up output much faster.
According to Tamarack Valley Energy CEO Brian Schmidt, the economics are hard to beat. "It doesn't take a whole bunch of capital to get started," he said, calling the play one with no equal among conventional oil fields.
Bloomberg writes that Clearwater's rapid growth has helped elevate several smaller companies into major players. Tamarack Valley and privately owned Spur Petroleum now rank among Alberta's largest oil producers, despite competing against companies with far larger oil sands operations.
Tamarack has been one of the most aggressive operators this year, securing 89 drilling approvals through mid-June, including 80 in the Clearwater. The company recently sold assets outside the region for C$804 million to concentrate entirely on the play while modestly increasing its capital spending plans.
Headwater Exploration has also stepped up investment after lifting its oil price assumptions in the wake of geopolitical tensions involving Iran. The company now expects production growth of about 10% this year, helped by expanded water-flooding operations that improve recovery rates from existing wells.
Once considered a little-known resource, the Clearwater has emerged as one of Canada's fastest-growing oil regions since attracting industry attention in 2017. Output has climbed from roughly 30,000 barrels per day to more than 230,000 barrels daily, while provincial estimates suggest the formation contains about 1.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
Schmidt believes the next phase of the play will be driven by acquisitions as larger operators absorb smaller rivals. "There'll be more consolidation in the Clearwater," he said.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/09/2026 - 06:55Cocoa futures in New York have doubled since the start of March and have now climbed back toward levels not seen since late 2025, around $6,000 a ton, as Jefferies analysts warn that a "perfect storm's a-brewing" across West Africa, the world's top cocoa-farming region.
Jefferies analyst Scott Marks wrote in a note on Tuesday that new weather concerns center on Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world's top cocoa-growing regions.
He said that temperatures in both countries have been about 2F below five-year averages since March, while rainfall in June ran about 46% above average in Ivory Coast and 52% above average in Ghana. Excess rain increases the risk of black pod and brown rot.
Early surveys of Ivory Coast's 2026/27 crop point to below-average cherelle formation and poor pod development.
Industry estimates now show around 1.7 to 1.8 million metric tons, down about 18% from roughly 2.2 million tons in 2025/26, the analyst noted.
Global cocoa market snapshot still dire:
A 2024/2025 estimated global cocoa surplus of ~48 thousand tons is now expected according to ICCO reports published May'26, below prior estimates of ~75 thousand tons
With the global cocoa stock-to-grinding ratio still below the historical avg, but an improvement from the 2023/24 season
Beyond the current adverse weather conditions in Ivory Coast and Ghana, traders are also monitoring the risk of an El Niño later this year, which could produce hot, dry winds that sweep across West Africa and further damage cocoa output.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/09/2026 - 05:45* * *
Iranian Retaliation: Air Defenses Active Over Bahrain, KuwaitNearing 5am Tehran time, and there are incoming reports of Iranian retaliation against Gulf states, which it seems is set to become a predictable pattern - after hours ago the US launched fresh airstrikes on Iranian island and coastal areas near the Hormuz Strait. According to developing reports via AFP and other sources:
Reports (unconfirmed) also suggest that missiles are being fired on Qatar - which hasn't happened in quite a while. Iran has reportedly launched ballistic missiles at the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, in a first since early March.
🇮🇷🇶🇦⚡️BREAKING: Iran has also launched ballistic missiles towards Qatar, for the first time in months. pic.twitter.com/h73hDqc6Ef
— MonitorX (@MonitorX99800) July 9, 2026Meanwhile, the view from Russia on two war theatres escalating once again, and at the same time...
MoU is over. The new phase of the war begins. The escalation with Russia is going to grow.
— Alexander Dugin (@AGDugin) July 8, 2026 Trump Threatens "Much Worse" Bombing If Iran Doesn't Stop AttacksFollowing the earlier (threatened) strikes. President Trump has taken to his Truth Social account to explain to Iran what happens next:
"This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!"
His post also included the following image of an alleged explosion in Chabahar (though it is unclear if this is a current photo)...
We suspect this will only serve to further bolster whatever group is actually attacking the tankers.
Another US Strike Wave On Iran CommencesAfter 11pm Tehran time, there are fresh reports of explosions across multiple locations along Iran's coast, coming from several regional sources:
This has come within hours of Iran having announced the suspension of talks on a final settlement with the United States. Also, President Trump earlier during the NATO summit warned that more US strikes would be forthcoming tonight - it appears he's making good on this threat. "I'll give a little warning: We're going to hit them hard tonight," he told reporters just before his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Reports of IRGC base targeted & struck:
U.S. strikes targeted a base operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Southern Iranian city of Bushehr, on the coast of the Persian Gulf. pic.twitter.com/Lt7wW6JAuL
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 8, 2026More images emerging from the nighttime raids:
ARMAGEDDON-LIKE MOMENT in Iran's southern port city of Chabahar as Trump's DEVASTATING STRIKES LIGHT UP NIGHT SKY
Maritime traffic control tower REPORTEDLY DESTROYED
Reports of CITYWIDE POWER OUTAGES pic.twitter.com/dp7hush6dh
Like last night, Iran's military is expected to respond, after the following warning: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister says recent actions by US won't stay without response, IRIB reports. Below is confirmation that the attacks are indeed underway:
President Trump while giving a closing address at the end of the NATO summit in Ankara repeatedly claimed that Iran was plotting to assassinate him, saying he was "on every single one of their list." He claimed: "They want to take out the US Leader. I'm on every single one of their list. So far, I've had a bit of luck, but maybe it won't last. They're evil and sick people, and we must get rid of this cancer."
He suggested that it's time to "finish the job" and yet at other times while fielding questions from reporters shied away from laying out anything that sounds like regime change. Instead he opted to again talk about how the US can never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He again stressed that "lunatics" can never have a nuclear weapon.
On the claimed assassination plot, it's unclear whether he has something specific in mind, in terms of a recent statement from the Iranian government. He could be referencing media reports from earlier this week quoting mourners and speakers at Khamenei's funeral. For example the following was in a Tuesday Reuters report:
As they passed under a bridge, mourners hurled stones at a billboard hung from above showing U.S. President Donald Trump with a bullet aimed at his head.
"The U.S. killed our father," it read. "We won't let you go!"
As demonstrators set fire to U.S. and British flags, women in black chadors held aloft red placards with the English words "KILL TRUMP" in black letters.
Others held aloft posters with the faces of Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, each depicted in the crosshairs of a gunsight, with the words "There will be blood".
Ahead of more potential renewed strikes on Iran tonight, CENTCOM is saying its forces are at the ready:
Today, more than 20 U.S. Navy warships are patrolling waters across the Middle East as CENTCOM forces continue promoting regional security and stability. Last month, U.S. naval warships and aircraft transited the Arabian Sea in close formation, demonstrating unmatched American… pic.twitter.com/gnfRIKAYJl
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 8, 2026 Iran Threatens To Reclose Strait, as US Military 'Ready' to Restart BlockadeIran has once again threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, according to state broadcaster Press TV on Wednesday, citing an Iranian official. Iran is of course planning strait only under its own arrangements, or a protocol involving collection of fees and utilizing a designated route close to its coast, "as per the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)."
The Iranian official further warned the military stands ready to "strike at least twice the number of targets hit" in response to any strikes by the United States. "The developments of the past 48 hours show Iran won't back down from managing the Hormuz," the source noted.
"Any threat will receive a powerful response," the official was quoted in Press TV as saying, and warned further that the Islamic Republic's armed forces do "not distinguish between the United States and its partners in the region." The official warned Trump that the US "will gain nothing" from making such threats.
"He (Trump) will certainly lose both the Strait of Hormuz and the negotiations over a final agreement," said the source. "The choice is now his." Meanwhile...
OIL EXTENDS GAINS, BRENT CRUDE RISES ABOVE $80 A BARREL
And WTI...
Trump: "Probably Hit Iran Tonight"After earlier saying from the NATO summit in Ankara that the Iran ceasefire is "over" - and amid fears of renewal of full-scale war given that Tehran has launched drone and missile attacks on nearby American allies Kuwait and Bahrain once again, President Trump said on Wednesday that he would "probably hit Iran tonight".
He issued the major threat and warning during a press conference at the NATO summit: "I'll give a little warning: We're going to hit them hard tonight," he told reporters just before his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He later lambasted Iran for "killing soldiers, killing people for 47 years," and that because of that, the US has "a score to settle." He added: "We may just do it without a deal." He also sought to once again explain his view that it's not about regime change, but about the nuclear issue.
Geopolitical news source DropSite is pushing back against some of Trump's newest claims, particularly that Iranians security services gunned down "54,000 protesters" during the January economic protests, commenting:
Trump today claimed Iran’s revolutionary regime killed 54,000 protesters at the start of the year, inflating the 40,000 figure he repeated through much of the US-Israeli war to justify and build support for U.S. action. There is no evidence for either figure.
HRANA, which has received U.S. funding, documented about 7,000 deaths, including many Iranian security and police. Iran puts the death toll just above 3,100 and says rioters killed civilians during protests that were overtaken by Israel- and U.S.-backed armed elements. Scores of videos from the January 2026 riots show armed men destroying mosques and government buildings and carrying out vigilante killings of security personnel.
Meanwhile, it's not a war, Trump has repeated... but what's next and what is the ultimate endgame here? Is there a coherent strategy yet? Trump further on Wednesday, while speaking alongside Zelensky and fielding questions, floated that "if we have to we will take out higher level targets" - and that "we may take over Kharg Island". He again admitted the Iran deal may not stick, after the US "knocked out 28 boats last night". He further warned that US forces will probably take out more boats tonight.
Trump on Iran War:
This is not a war. It's the denuclearization of Iran. pic.twitter.com/k51XHDATXF
Brent crude futures jumped more than 6% in London after President Trump told reporters at a press conference in Ankara that the tentative ceasefire with Iran is over.
"To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore; they're scum," Trump told reporters.
Trump says the ceasefire between U.S. and Iran is over.
"To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore; they're scum", the U.S. president says.
Live updates: https://t.co/l9KwsXPz0p pic.twitter.com/mqfE5qKOHe
Trump's remarks came after Iran launched missiles and kamikaze drones at several merchant vessels in the Hormuz chokepoint on Tuesday. This was countered by overnight US strikes, as fears of conflict erupting once more are on the rise.
However, Trump stopped short of saying the U.S. would restart the war and said he would let talks continue if the parties were willing.
Crude UpdateIn European trade, front-month Brent crude futures jumped 6% to $78.63 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate rose 6.2% to $74.85 a barrel. Natural gas prices rose as well, with the benchmark Dutch TTF contract up 4.8% to 49.04 euros per megawatt-hour.
Hours before the strikes, the US Treasury revoked a sanctions waiver that had allowed Tehran to sell oil, reversing a key element of the interim deal.
Trump also told reporters that he would continue to let his negotiators talk to Tehran, though he thought "they're wasting their time."
Eroding Confidence in Strait's ReopeningOn Tuesday afternoon, the Joint Maritime Information Center upgraded the Hormuz risk rating to "Severe" after three tankers were targeted by Iran. This renewed uncertainty in the critical waterway will only pressure the normalization of vessel flows.
"Every renewed attack on commercial shipping further erodes confidence in the Strait's reopening, making each future recovery more fragile than the last," said Michelle Brouhard, head of policy and geopolitical risk at Kpler. "If every reopening is assumed to be temporary, freight rates remain elevated, insurance costs remain high and fewer vessels are willing to re-enter the Gulf."
Dominic Ellis, UBS equity analyst covering oil and gas, wrote in a note:
The US carried out a new round of strikes against Iran in response to recent Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran in turn launched missile and drone attacks on US assets in Kuwait and Bahrain. While this latest escalation does not mean an end to the diplomatic progress made in recent weeks, it underscores the challenges of diplomacy when both sides believe they have the upper hand.
Markets were too quick to buy into the de-escalation narrative in my view, and while there has been evidence of progress and of a rebound in vessel flows via the Strait of Hormuz, the latest developments may lead to more realistic expectations on the return to normalcy and a slightly higher range for oil in the near term.
The likelihood of a spike above $100/b remains low, however, even in the event of further tit-for-tat strikes in the Middle East, given the surprise sustained drop in Chinese crude imports.
Latest Bloomberg data tracking ships transiting the Hormuz chokepoint with transponders on remain elevated, but the number of vessels making the East-West route has fallen dramatically, while West-East remains steady.
Also, note that the oil market's forward curve has shifted into backwardation. This occurs when near-term futures trade at a premium to longer-dated contracts. The shift shows traders are once again willing to pay up for immediate crude supplies.
More Geopolitical Headlinesvia Newsquawk...
Iran Commentary
Overnight Attacks
US Commentary
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