Vice President JD Vance was unsparing during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience(JRE) podcast published Wednesday, defending Donald Trump administration's negotiations and ceasefire proposal with Iran, and slammed critics who have aggressively attacked his diplomatic efforts. "Many of the people who were receiving that money were actually attacking me in completely dishonest ways... my response to that is, well, go to hell. I'm going to do what I have to do for the American people. I represent Americans first," he said.

The nearly 3-hour conversation on JRE came at a highly strategic moment as the Trump administration worked to manage divisions in the ruling Republican party over the ongoing war with Iran and lingering public frustration regarding transparency over the Jeffrey Epstein files. Throughout the conversation, Vance delivered some of his most candid and combative remarks to date on foreign influence, the economy, and the administration’s own communication missteps.

Vance cited a Time magazine investigation alleging that a former Trump campaign operative, Brad Parscale had been funded by the Israeli government to orchestrate a covert campaign to derail the Iran peace negotiations. He accused elements within the Jewish state of trying to manipulate U.S. public opinion to keep the war going indefinitely without a clear, defined strategic endpoint.

While the vice president noted that foreign lobbying is simply "the nature of the beast" and expected from countries like Israel, he expressed intense frustration with Americans who allowed foreign interests to dictate their positions.

Addressing another persistent point of criticism from both the left and right of American politics, Vance conceded that the administration severely mishandled the public rollout of federal documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Vance admitted, "We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files. Like, we just did." He pointed to former Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the release. Bondi had famously claimed a definitive "client list" was sitting on her desk, and later released "declassified" binders to influencers that mostly contained already public information.

"I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment," Vance said, arguing there was no malicious cover-up but that she had significantly "overstated what we had."

When Rogan noted that many believe Epstein was connected to Mossad (Israeli intelligence), Vance agreed, saying that Epstein "clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence" and "the highest levels of Israeli intelligence." He claimed that Epstein’s ties in Israel were mostly concentrated within "left of center" elements of the Israeli political establishment.

During a discussion focusing on domestic policy, Rogan expressed his concern about the rising popularity of democratic socialism among young Americans.

Vance blamed four decades of bipartisan economic policies that favored offshoring, outsourcing, and relying on low-wage foreign labor. He argued this turned the U.S. into "a kind of shell corporation" that no longer manufactures its own goods or supports worker bargaining power.

The vice president criticized Wall Street firms for buying up single-family homes and turning them into "investable, 'line goes up' assets," which has locked young people out of homeownership.

Vance warned his conservative colleagues that simply shouting "socialism is bad" is not enough. "I think that unless you go down that pathway of allowing young Americans to own something, socialism is the inevitable outcome... and if we don't [fix this], we are going to end up with a socialist president in this country."

The vice president's remarks on JRE drew praise from across the political spectrum. Many of the low-propensity voters who were crucial to the Trump's election victory, had grown disillusioned by the administration's active military campaign in Iran and perceived foot-dragging on the Epstein files.

Political analysts noted that by directly addressing Rogan's own criticisms on these fronts, Vance sought to act as the administration's primary diplomat to anti-war and anti-establishment skeptics.

Pro-war commentators, Zionists and neoconservative critics slammed the appearance, branding Vance an "antisemite," with some declaring they will "never" vote for him if he runs for president in 2028.

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in a dramatic 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal to advance to the final against Spain. The match, played in Atlanta, was defined by a historic late comeback from the defending champions, who overturned a second-half deficit in the final minutes of regulation time.

The match began with a tense, physical first half that featured no shots on goal and numerous fouls, reflecting the deep-seated rivalry between the two nations. Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock in the 55th minute with an acrobatic finish from a Morgan Rogers cross, giving England their first real scoring opportunity and putting them on the verge of their first World Cup final since 1966.

England subsequently retreated into a defensive shell, relying on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who made several crucial saves to preserve the lead while Argentina struggled to break through.

Lionel Messi became the central architect of Argentina’s resurgence, providing two critical assists in the dying stages. In the 85th minute, Messi set up Enzo Fernández, who fired a stunning long-range shot to equalize.

Three minutes into stoppage time, Messi delivered a precise cross to substitute Lautaro Martínez, who headed home the winning goal. The victory extended Argentina’s legacy of overcoming adversity in the tournament and ended England’s bid for a second title in 60 years.

Argentina will face Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium, while England will play France in the third-place match.

The semifinal revived one of soccer’s fiercest rivalries, marked by iconic moments like Diego Maradona’s "Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century" in 1986, and David Beckham’s red card in 1998.

The match reignited diplomatic friction regarding the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), with Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel referring to England as "usurping pirates," leading to restrictions on fan banners.

Argentina’s win keeps alive their dream of becoming the first team since Brazil (1958–1962) to win back-to-back World Cups. Messi, appearing in his sixth World Cup, continues to extend his record of impacting knockout-stage matches.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday, executed a second wave of daylight strikes against Iran and disabled the Curaçao-flagged tanker M/T Belma with Hellfire missiles after it ignored warnings while attempting to violate the reimposed U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Following a heavy 90-minute wave of morning strikes that concluded around 11430 UTC (which hit coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage on Greater Tunb Island), the U.S. launched a second wave of daylight strikes at 1900 UTC. These daytime strikes are highly unusual and signal a significant increase in operational tempo.

The U.S. military stated these actions target Iranian capabilities threatening the Strait of Hormuz, having already redirected two other compliant vessels during the first 24 hours of enforcement.

In rapid retaliation, Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC)  and Iranian army launched coordinated missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. military command centers, air defenses in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, UAE and Erbil Air Base/U.S. Consulate Area, and a primary "gathering center" of U.S. forces in northern Iraq.

The U.S. reinstated its maritime blockade on Tuesday to stop vessels from entering or exiting Iranian ports, a move President Donald Trump clarified would not include a previously proposed 20% cargo fee but would instead rely on new trade deals with Gulf states.

During enforcement, CENTCOM fired missiles into the M/T Belma's smokestack as it headed toward Kharg Island, marking the tenth commercial ship disabled since April for resisting U.S. instructions.

The blockade aims to secure the waterway, through which roughly 20% of global oil supplies typically move, following recent Iranian attacks on commercial shipping.

Following the U.S. strikes on Iranian coastal defenses and missile sites, Tehran threatened to halt all Middle East energy exports, declaring that regional oil would be available "to everyone or to no one."

 The conflict has disrupted global trade, pushing Brent crude prices above $85 a barrel, and raises fears of a wider regional war involving the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran has escalated dramatically following the breakdown of a short-lived June ceasefire.

Meanwhile Trump announced in a Truth Social that a detained American citizen has been freed  by Iran. "Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the “presidency” of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country. She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!" the president wrote.