Marc Polymeropoulos

WATCH: During today's Worldwide Threats Hearing, each leader of the Intelligence Community agreed with Chairman @RepRickCrawford that the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI), which was constructed upon significantly flawed analytic tradecraft, should be recalled.

NBC News reported today on allegations that while working as DHS Sec Kristi Noem's top aide, Corey Lewandowksi sought kickbacks from contractors he steered DHS business to. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/d… The article includes this wild section involving DHS contractor Salus Worldwide.

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BREAKTHROUGH: On Capitol Hill, in response to questions from intel chairman @RepRickCrawford top intelligence officials confirmed that the Biden-era assessments about Havana Syndrome should be recalled. Those assessments concluded it was very unlikely a novel weapon or foreign adversary was responsible for their debilitating neurological injuries. This significant development comes one month after I exclusively reported that DNI Gabbard's team concluded the Biden-era assessments were defective and should be recalled, but there was internal resistance within the Intelligence Community to releasing the findings. Today the CIA Director @CIADirector said he would defer to @DNIGabbard It is gratifying to see movement on a story where injured US Government personnel have suffered terrible injures as well as the moral wound of a government cover-up of Directed Energy Attacks. Thank you to the whistleblowers who have trusted our independent team with their stories, and continue to come forward. Demanding facts, and accountability so that the US government takes steps to protect its spies, diplomats and military operatives from these life altering injuries.

Nearly three weeks into the #IranWar, assessments range from excessive optimism about the ability to topple the Iranian regime and destroy its military capabilities to pessimistic forecasts of a prolonged war of attrition that could ultimately leave a more extreme and dangerous regime capable of rapidly rebuilding its power. Given the dynamic reality, restrictions on communication within Iran, and uncertainty regarding expected military developments in the coming weeks, a cautious assessment is required across four main areas: Iran’s internal situation, missiles, the nuclear program, and energy. Iran’s internal situation: At this stage, there is no indication that the regime is willing to compromise. Moreover, the Iranian leadership appears intent on ending the war not merely in a state of survival, but within a new regional reality that recognizes Iran’s status and its capacity to inflict significant damage on its neighbors—without a U.S. military presence and with guarantees that any end to the war will be permanent. At the same time, the regime has demonstrated adaptability to continued decapitation strikes: security forces continue to function while adjusting to Israeli attacks, and domestic repression persists, including arrests and executions. Even the recent Fire Festival (Chaharshanbeh Suri) passed without major incidents. That said, the elimination of senior figures such as Ali Larijani is not without significance. These continued decapitations complicate strategic coordination, exacerbate tensions between the political and military echelons, and create challenges for maintaining an effective chain of command. It remains unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei can establish effective control and whether—and when—a tipping point could be reached that would further undermine the regime’s stability, which, for now, appears relatively resilient. Missiles: There is a clear effort not only to degrade launch capabilities but also production capacity to delay post-war recovery. The recent increase in launch volume suggests that the earlier decline stemmed not only from operational damage (it remains unclear how many missiles and launchers were destroyed versus temporarily disabled), but also from deliberate munitions management over time. Nuclear program: This remains a central concern. As long as Iran retains nuclear capabilities—including significant stockpiles of 60% enriched uranium—there is a real risk of renewed acceleration of its nuclear program and potentially a doctrinal shift under Mojtaba Khamenei, who is likely not bound by the concept of a nuclear threshold state or by his father’s nuclear fatwa. Energy: Finally, energy has become a key instrument of pressure for Iran, leveraging its control over the Strait of Hormuz and its influence on global oil markets. The Israeli strike on a gas field in southern Iran further demonstrated that Tehran has no intention of abandoning this leverage and may even escalate its use. However, it remains unclear how sustainable this strategy is. If the United States is willing to assume the risks associated with broader military action, an opportunity may emerge over time to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten the global energy market.

Polymarket, the company that allows users to place bets with cryptocurrency on real-world events, announced plans to open a new bar in the nation's capital on Friday. wjla.com/news/local/pol…

Programming update: Episode #603 dropping this afternoon.

Interesting development on Havana Syndrome (AHI) today before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Chairman Crawford asks if the Intelligence Community Assessment on AHI -- which assessed it was "very unlikely" a directed energy weapon capable of causing AHI has been wielded by a foreign actor against Americans -- should be retracted. Gabbard (ODNI), Patel (FBI), Hartman (NSA) and Adams (DIA) all say, "Yes." Ratcliffe (CIA) defers to Gabbard on the issue. NSA director saying "Yes" also hints at NSA's altered assessment from late 2024, lending credence to a foreign actor having or using such a weapon. DIA's investigation into AHI, led by Greg Edgreen, was always more confident Russia was behind this. youtube.com/watch?v=FiRYe3…