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Starlink 17-5: SpaceX Launches 24 Satellites In Falcon 9's 100th Mission Of 2025
August 18, 2025
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SpaceX successfully launched its 100th Falcon 9 rocket mission of 2025 on Monday, Aug. 18, at 1626 UTC from Space Launch Complex 4 East(LC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit.

The Starlink 17-5 mission, marked the 72nd Starlink launch of the year and brought the total number of Starlink satellites orbited in 2025 to 1,786.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on a southerly trajectory from Vandenberg's pad 4E. The first stage booster, B1088, completed its ninth flight and landed successfully on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean. The Starlink satellites deployed approximately 50 minutes after liftoff.

The launch was part of SpaceX's ongoing effort to expand its Starlink broadband internet constellation, which supports its over 6 million broadband customers woldwide, and the U.S. Department of Defense communications through advanced low Earth orbit technology.

This mission added to SpaceX’s growing Starlink megaconstellation, which now comprises over 8,100 active satellites, providing global broadband internet coverage. Since the first Starlink launch in 2018, SpaceX has sent more than 9,400 satellites into orbit, significantly expanding its network to serve clients worldwide.

While Starlink 17-5 marks SpaceX’s 100th Falcon 9 flight of 2025, it is also the company's 103rd mission overall for the year, which also included three suborbital Starship test flights aimed at supporting future lunar and Martian missions.

Overall, Monday's mission marked SpaceX’s 528th completed launch, 489th successful landing, and 454th reflight of a Falcon 9 first stage, underscoring the company’s operational efficiency and commitment to reusable rocket systems.

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US Air Force Establishes MQ-9 Reaper Drone Unit In South Korea

The U.S. Air Force has reactivated the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, marking the first permanent deployment of MQ-9A Reaper drones on the Korean Peninsula.

The MQ-9 Reaper, a turboprop-powered unmanned aerial vehicle, has a range exceeding 2,575 kilometers(km) and can remain airborne for over 24 hours, enabling extended ISR missions. It is capable of carrying AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-54 laser-guided bombs for combat roles.

The unit, which was originally formed in 1943 as the 431st Fighter Squadron during World War II, was reactivated on Sept. 28,, to serve as a tenant unit under the 8th Fighter Wing, known as “the Wolf Pack.” Commanded by Lt. Col. Douglas J. Slater, the squadron is tasked with enhancing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities across the Indo-Pacific theater, supporting U.S.-South Korea alliance priorities.

The 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron is the first permanent MQ-9 Reaper unit stationed in South Korea, replacing previous rotational deployments of the drone. The activation signifies a strategic shift to maintain a persistent aerial surveillance presence in the region.

The squadron’s location at Kunsan Air Base allows it to monitor North Korea, the Yellow Sea, and areas extending into eastern China, including major cities like Beijing and Shanghai Its reach also covers the East China Sea and Taiwan, approximately 1,287 km away.

The 431st was first activated in 1943 in Australia, flying P-38 Lightning fighters as bomber escorts in the Pacific Theater during World War II. It later relocated to Seoul in 1945 before being deactivated in 1949. It was reactivated in 1952 as an air defense squadron and later served as a test and evaluation unit for the F-111 Aardvark until its inactivation in 1992.

The reactivation comes alongside other strategic moves, including the relocation of 31 F-16 fighter jets from Kunsan to Osan Air Base, closer to the Demilitarized Zone, to form a “super squadron” and increase combat readiness.

The U.S. military has not disclosed the number of Reapers or personnel assigned to the squadron, citing security concerns. The unit’s activation underscores the U.S. commitment to regional security amid rising tensions and North Korea’s continued missile testing.

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Israel Pays US Influencers $7K Per Post To Promote Zionist Propaganda: FARA Report

Newly filed documents under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) reveal that Israel’s government has launched a covert influence campaign, codenamed the "Esther Project," through a firm called Bridges Partners LLC, paying American social media influencers up to $7,000 per post to promote pro-Israel content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram from June to November 2025.

The campaign, managed by a German division of the global PR firm Havas, is part of a broader $150 million foreign influence budget secured by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in late 2024, aimed at countering a significant decline in U.S. public support for Israel, particularly among younger Republicans.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly acknowledged the strategy during a meeting with influencers in New York, stating, “We have to fight back. How do we fight back? Our influencers.”

The "Esther Project" has a total budget of $900,000, allocated from June to November 2025, with payments covering influencer recruitment, concept development, content production, and agency costs. Of this, approximately $552,946 was earmarked for direct influencer payments between June and September, based on projected 75 to 90 posts. The average payout per post is estimated between $6,143 and $7,373.

The campaign is being rolled out in phases, with three to six influencers onboarded at a time, each expected to produce 25 to 30 pieces of content monthly.

Bridges Partners, owned by Israeli consultants Uri Steinberg and Yair Levi, has enlisted a former IDF spokesperson, Nadav Shtrauchler, for the project and is using legal counsel from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, a firm previously linked to the controversial Israeli spyware company NSO Group. The firm has also partnered with Israeli content creators and U.S.-based marketing agencies.

The campaign’s name, "Esther Project," draws a parallel to "Project Esther," a controversial Heritage Foundation proposal to label pro-Palestinian activists as terrorists and justify their deportation and job loss, though no direct link has been confirmed.

This influencer campaign is one component of a larger, multi-million-dollar effort by Israel to dominate U.S. digital discourse. This includes a separate $1.5 million-per-month contract with Brad Parscale, a former Trump campaign strategist, to use AI-driven tools like MarketBrew and GPT-based chatbots to generate thousands of pro-Israel content variations.

While the FARA filings do not disclose the names of individual influencers, several participants were photographed at the September 26, 2025, meeting with Netanyahu in New York. These include Lizzy Savetsky, Ari Acker, Zach Sage Fox, Miriam Ezagui, and Joyce Chabb, all known for pro-Israel content on Instagram and TikTok. The identities of the other influencers involved in the campaign remain undisclosed in the public records.

The campaign is part of Israel’s declared "eighth front" in its current conflict, emphasizing the strategic importance of social media in shaping global narratives. The $150 million budget represents a 20-fold increase over previous hasbara (public diplomacy) spending, reflecting a significant escalation in Israel’s global communications strategy.

The use of FARA-registered firms like Bridges Partners and Havas underscores the formal, though covert, nature of the operation. The campaign coincides with a broader shift in U.S. public opinion, with recent polls indicating that Americans now sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis for the first time in 26 years.

The campaign has sparked controversy, with Israeli critics accusing the influencers of prioritizing self-promotion over solidarity with hostage families who were also in New York during Netanyahu’s meeting.

American critics on social media slam the influencers for prioritizing Israel over their country, with many Christians pointing out that the Israel Defense Force(IDF) is currently committing genocide in Gaza, and that the state of Israel promotes LGBTQ, abortion and other degenerate policies antithetical to the cause of the American conservative movement.

Here are some of the paid influencers and groups

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October 01, 2025
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Trump's Executive Order Guarantees Qatar Security After Israeli Airstrike

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday, pledging to defend Qatar against any external attack, including through military action, in a move likened to NATO's Article 5. The order, published on Wednesday, October 1, was a direct response to an Israeli airstrike on September 9, that targeted Hamas leaders in Doha, killing six people, including a Qatari security officer.

The order states that any armed attack on Qatar's territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure will be regarded as a threat to the peace and security of the United States, and the U.S. will take all lawful and appropriate measures—including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military action—to defend both nations and restore stability.

“Over the years, the United States and the State of Qatar have been bound together by close cooperation, shared interests, and the close relationship between our armed forces,” reads the order. “In recognition of this history, and in light of the continuing threats to the State of Qatar posed by foreign aggression, it is the policy of the United States to guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar against external attack.

“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States.”

The order states that "In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the state of Qatar and to restore peace and stability."

The order is unprecedented in its scope for a non-NATO ally, with its legal weight being less binding than a formal treaty, as such agreements typically require Senate approval. The U.S. designated Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2022, recognizing its crucial support during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base, which serves as the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command.

The Israeli strike on Doha, which occurred as Hamas leaders were reportedly considering a ceasefire, shocked Qatari officials and raised serious questions about the strength of U.S. security guarantees for its Gulf allies.

The strike has prompted regional shifts, with Saudi Arabia reportedly entering a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan, bringing the kingdom under Islamabad’s nuclear umbrella.

In response, President Trump, during a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, orchestrated a trilateral phone call where Netanyahu expressed "deep regret" for the attack, apologized for violating Qatari sovereignty, and affirmed that Israel would not conduct such an attack again.

The executive order is seen as a significant strategic shift, providing Qatar with a unique security guarantee that no other Arab nation has received The move is also viewed as a political victory for Qatar, which leveraged the crisis to isolate Israel and secure a major diplomatic breakthrough.

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