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A photograph showing two men clasping hands as if arm wrestling, both grimacing/smiling with exaggerated effort. On the left is a man with blond hair combed back, wearing a navy suit jacket, white shirt, and red tie, gripping his own hand together with the other man's in a handshake-like clasp while smiling with eyes squinted. On the right is a heavily muscled, tanned man with a white horseshoe mustache and goatee, wearing a red bandana over blond hair, yellow sunglasses pushed up on the bandana, and a red tank top/vest, with a gold cross necklace visible on his chest; he has his mouth open wide as if shouting or straining. The background is a beige textured wall panel with a grid pattern of small dots. No visible text appears in the image.

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

A screenshot of a social media post repost. It shows the account "Trump War Room" (@TrumpWarRoom) having reposted a post from "Donald J. Trump" (@realDonaldTrump), shown with his verified badge and an American-flag-tinted profile picture. The embedded post is a text-only statement about a Republican political convention in Dallas. Below the post is a timestamp and view count.

Text in image: Trump War Room @TrumpWarRoom Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump The Republican Midterm Convention last night, in Dallas, was a major, sold out hit, far bigger, better, and more important than anyone thought possible. It was really something, streaming all over the place, and really big numbers, despite going up against the NFL. The overall numbers beat the NFL. The Arena, which was really nice, beat its own attendance records. The place was packed! There were thousands of people outside who couldn't get in. Screens were provided. I guess people LOVE TRUMP POLITICS! I'll be there again tonight to close out the show. Exciting "Stuff!" MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! 6:55 AM · Sep 10, 2026 · 12.8K Views

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

This is a digitally created/AI-generated political meme image. It shows a man resembling Donald Trump, wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and red tie, straining to pull a large black pipe labeled "KEYSTONE" up out of the ground amid scattered dirt clods, under a dramatic stormy sky with sun breaking through clouds. American flags are planted on both the left and right sides of the scene. In the foreground on the left is a gray stone grave marker/headstone reading "BURIED BY BIDEN." In the foreground on the right is a plaque or sign reading "KEYSTONE PIPELINE / COMPLETELY FREE / ENERGY, JOBS, AMERICA FIRST."

Text in image: KEYSTONE BURIED BY BIDEN KEYSTONE PIPELINE COMPLETELY FREE ENERGY, JOBS, AMERICA FIRST.

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

A political campaign graphic with a blue-to-red gradient background. On the left is a close-up photo of Donald Trump wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and dark tie, with a stern/serious expression. On the right is a photo of a smiling man with short gray/brown hair, glasses, and a beard/goatee, wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and a red-patterned tie with a round pin on his lapel. At the bottom center is a "TRUMP VANCE / MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" campaign logo with stars on either side.

Text in image: FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE (FL-HD-72) BILL CONERLY WINS! ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP! TRUMP VANCE MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! ★★★★★

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

Donald was the young man who was going to conquer Manhattan. He takes chances that would make a less daring man shudder. To think about the arc of where he's been in, it's like some sort of mythical story or something. This sounds like political presidential talk to me. Donald Trump seems to always get stronger with challenge. My God, that guy's got resilience. Those who deal with you underestimate you, but they regret it. It's always good to be underestimated. It is not about politics. It's about our love for this great country, America. And we're not going to let it fail. I will fight like no one has ever fought before. Trump is the bodyguard of Western civilization. You want to talk about a fighter who walked in fire. He's an absolute savage. He knows that this is much bigger than him. This is about the American people. They have no idea what they have unleashed. He was ready to go face the cameras and come out swinging. What will future Americans say we did in our brief time here on Earth? It will be defined by your vision, your perseverance, and your grit. Nothing will sway us. Nothing will slow us. And no one will ever stop us. We are Americans. Ambition is our heritage. Greatness is our birthright. And the future belongs to us.

Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.

A digital architectural rendering (CGI/3D model) of a large neoclassical government-style building with a portico of tall fluted Corinthian columns supporting a triangular pediment with an ornate frieze. The building has an adjoining wing with arched second-story windows, decorative wall sconces, and a rusticated ground floor with barred windows and a door. A black iron perimeter fence with stone piers runs along a sidewalk and street in the foreground, with landscaped grass strips and other modern buildings visible in the background. The image has the flat, slightly artificial lighting and clean surfaces typical of an architectural visualization/rendering rather than a photograph.

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

A photograph showing construction/restoration workers on scaffolding restoring an ornate classical building exterior, likely a government building. In the foreground, a man wearing a white hard hat, sunglasses, a gray t-shirt with what appears to be a National Park Service (or similar agency) patch/badge on the chest, and gray work pants kneels on wooden scaffold planks. He holds a plaster hawk board with wet plaster/compound in one hand and reaches up with a trowel-like tool in the other hand toward an elaborate carved Corinthian-style column capital with acanthus leaf and scroll (volute) detailing above him. Behind him, another worker in a blue hard hat and gray t-shirt is also working near the column, and additional workers in gray shirts are visible further back on multi-level metal scaffolding. Buckets (including a red bucket) and plaster debris are scattered on the scaffold decking. The column itself appears freshly restored/painted in a cream color with a visible seam line partway up.

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

-Because we've done so well and because our country is making so much money, that only I can make this promise to you. And here is my promise. If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic -- tremendous economic success, like in history, we've never had anything like what's happening, but because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000. Very much like a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders, or like last year when I gave our great members of the military, 1,776, remember?

Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.

A campaign graphic with a blue-to-red gradient background and a thin blue border. It shows two photos side by side: on the left, a close-up of Donald Trump with a stern/serious expression, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and blue tie; on the right, a smiling man with short brown hair and a beard, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and a striped tie, with a small round pin on his lapel. At the bottom center is the "TRUMP VANCE / MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" campaign logo with stars on either side.

Text in image: FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE (FL-HD-48) JON ALBERT WINS! ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP! TRUMP VANCE ★★★★★ MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! ★★★★★

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

An aerial photograph looking down the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., with the Lincoln Memorial visible at the far end and the Washington Monument area/city skyline in the background. A large stylized profile-silhouette caricature of a man's head (resembling Donald Trump, recognizable by the distinctive hairstyle and profile) has been digitally composited or artistically rendered into the surface of the reflecting pool's water, appearing as a green/light outline against the dark blue water. Pedestrians can be seen walking along the paths on either side of the pool, and trees line both sides of the park grounds.

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

A political campaign graphic with a blue-to-red gradient background bordered by a thin white square frame. It shows a photo of Donald Trump (serious/stern expression, wearing a dark suit and blue tie) on the left and a photo of a smiling older man with light gray hair, wearing a dark plaid suit and dark tie, on the right. At the bottom center is a "TRUMP VANCE" campaign logo with five stars above and below and the tagline "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Text in image: FLORIDA COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE WILTON SIMPSON WINS! ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP! TRUMP VANCE MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

A screenshot of an Instagram post from the verified account "thejerusalem_post" (The Jerusalem Post), posted 16 weeks ago. The image shows a black news-graphic slide with a headline, below which are photos of three women's faces (portrait-style photos of Iranian women). The post caption below the image gives details about the story: sexual abuse reports in Iranian prisons during a ceasefire, a protester's account of rape during interrogation, a man's suicide attempt, and arrest statistics from human rights groups. A "Read more through the link in bio" line follows.

Text in image: thejerusalem_post - Follow thejerusalem_post 16w Sexual abuse in Iranian prisons sharply rises during ceasefire. One protester told The Media Line she was raped with a baton during interrogation. Another man attempted suicide after agents claimed they desecrated his wife's body. Human rights groups say at least 3,646 Iranians have been arrested since the war began, with internet shutdowns hiding the true scale. Read more through the link in bio. Sexual abuse in Iranian prisons surges during ceasefire Photo: Social media/Via section 27a of the Copyright Act

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

A news-style photograph of a man resembling Donald Trump walking outdoors near a black limousine/motorcade vehicle, with a large jet engine visible in the background (suggesting an airport tarmac). He is wearing a dark navy suit, white shirt, and pink/magenta tie, with his right fist raised in the air in a triumphant gesture, eyes closed. Behind him to the left, a woman in a black sleeveless top stands near the vehicle. To the right, two men in dark suits and sunglasses, appearing to be security/Secret Service personnel, walk behind him; one wears a suit with an emblem patch on the shoulder.

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.

[ Applause ]

Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.

For more than 50 years, the Kennedy Center has stood along the Potomac as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, in America's home for the performing arts. Millions have come through its doors to experience music, theater, dance, history, and culture. Yet behind the marble facade, above the ceilings, and beneath the foundation, critical systems are failing. Above the iconic walkways, wrapping the building's exterior, lower roof drainage failures have saturated the massive overhead panels, severely corroding the steel supports that hold them in place. One third of these 278 soffit panels require immediate replacement, and over 95% exhibit significant corrosion. Each panel weighs up to 2,500 pounds, suspended 60 feet directly above active pedestrian pathways. In the parking garage, decades of water infiltration have degraded structural concrete and severely corroded structural steel. Temporary shoring towers now hold up deteriorating slabs directly above active drive lanes, while key steel beams exhibit section loss of up to 40%. This degradation reaches further into the subterranean service tunnel and loading docks. Chronic water intrusion has compromised joints and fractured concrete slabs overhead, creating immediate life safety risks across this primary transit pipeline that serves every backstage space. On September 4th, the risk became a reality. In the Grand Foyer, water damage caused a 4 by 5 foot section of plaster to break free from the ceiling and fall 60 feet to the floor. A security officer had cleared the area just minutes earlier. Other locations along the Grand Foyer ceiling show similar signs of trapped moisture and deterioration. Under the front plaza, active leaks threaten the center's primary electrical infrastructure. Because this high-voltage equipment from the 1960s lacks modern downstream disconnects, major repairs or component failures require shutting down power to two-thirds of the building. The central chillers and boilers that heat and cool the complex are operating years past their engineered service life, leaving the facility vulnerable to catastrophic mechanical failure and rendering basic climate control increasingly unmanageable. And for 30 years, a failed filtration system has allowed unfiltered Potomac River water to contribute to buildup, corrosion, and additional strain on the center's aging cooling equipment. The challenges extend to the stages themselves. Backstage in the Opera House, critical theatrical rigging, and overhead production systems are decades beyond their intended service life. An independent engineering report recommended major replacement as far back as 2002, yet much of that equipment remains in use above performers and crews today. Taken individually, these are major capital projects. Together, they represent compounding systemic failures that temporary shoring and piecemeal repairs can no longer mitigate. This is not about demolition. A planned temporary closure of the main facility is the only path to overhaul these compounding hazards, modernize critical plant and stage technology, and safeguard this national memorial for generations to come. But a temporary closure does not mean silencing our mission. By activating the reach and expanding off-site artistic, educational, and civic programming, the center will remain vibrant while this essential overhaul is completed. It also means preparing for a historic grand reopening, delivering a renewed national home for artists, audiences, and future generations. The work ahead is significant, but so is the opportunity, and lasting stewardship requires action today.

Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.

(dramatic music)

Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.

A photograph of a printed newspaper page from The Epoch Times' Opinion section, dated Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. At the top are two smaller linked headlines with thumbnail photos flanking the "Opinion" masthead: "The Data Center Backlash Has a Practical Fix" by Howard Franklin (A18) on the left, and "We Spend a Lot More on Welfare Than Bombs" by David Harsanyi (A21) on the right, the latter thumbnail showing a road sign reading "THE NATIONAL DEBT $40 [TRILLION]". Below is a large photo of a hazy, smoke-filled cityscape (buildings, an unfinished concrete structure with rebar and ladders in the foreground) captioned "Smoke rises from the site of airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, on March 6, 2026." Below that is the main opinion column headlined "Iran Is Not Even Close to Winning the War" by Mike Fredenburg, with a small circular author photo, a pull-quote in italics, and body text in three columns arguing that despite domestic political criticism, Iran's military and economy have been severely degraded and it is not winning the war against the U.S./Israel/coalition forces. A subheading "Iranian Regime in Historically Bad Shape" appears near the bottom of the third column, with "Continued on A18" at the very bottom.

Text in image: Opinion THE EPOCH TIMES A17 FRIDAY, SEPT. 11, 2026 The Data Center Backlash Has a Practical Fix Howard Franklin | A18 We Spend a Lot More on Welfare Than Bombs David Harsanyi | A21 [thumbnail sign text: THE NATIONAL DEBT $40 [TRILLION]] Smoke rises from the site of airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, on March 6, 2026. Iran Is Not Even Close to Winning the War By Mike Fredenburg The airwaves and blogs are full of pundits and other self-proclaimed experts declaring that the United States has lost or is losing the war. Certainly, there is little doubt that the war has not gone as smoothly as the Trump administration expected it to. And if you believe that the United States' inability to wrap up a nice, clean win (super unlikely) before the November midterms is a significant win for the Iranian regime, you are correct. But does that really mean that Iran is winning the war, strategically or otherwise? History tells us that merely maintaining a limited capacity to lob missiles and drones at your opponent does not mean that you are winning. Neither does the ability to exert limited control over a waterway mean that you are winning. By any reasonable standard of military degradation, strategic isolation, economic collapse, and regional realignment, it is the United States that is winning this war that probably should have been fought after Iran's proxies, including the Hezbollah terrorist group, executed the 1983 truck bomb attack on the U.S. Marine compound, killing 241 U.S. servicemen. Consider the facts: U.S. forces have sunk or crippled the overwhelming majority of Iran's conventional navy. Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, a former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, assessed that Iran has lost 80 percent to 90 percent of its naval capacity. With the vast majority of Iran's largest naval vessels having been crippled or destroyed, Tehran's ability to project meaningful naval power has been reduced to an ever-decreasing number of small Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast-attack boats of minimal capability. While the United States has not gained air dominance over all of Iran, it does have air superiority over significant portions, and the Trump administration has claimed that 1,500 strikes have destroyed some 80 percent of Iran's air defense system. Of course, as is the case with all wars, we won't know the real numbers until well after the war concludes, but there is little doubt that Iran's air defenses have been severely degraded. And given the dire economic circumstances the regime finds itself in, those systems will be very difficult to replace, and even if they can eventually do so, it will be many years—assuming that the regime lasts that long. On the industrial and infrastructure front, the campaign has been even more decisive. U.S. and coalition forces have struck more than 13,000 targets inside Iran, including 90 percent of Iran's weapons factories. While striking targets is certainly not the same as destroying them, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine has described Iran's defense industrial base as "shattered," with CENTCOM reporting that more than two-thirds of Iran's missile, drone, and naval production facilities and shipyards were damaged or destroyed, including nearly all Shahed drone production facilities and solid-rocket-motor production facilities—critical to the production of Iran's cheap but effective ballistic missiles. Satellite analysis has documented extensive damage to more than 50 Iranian military bases, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters, air bases, naval hubs, and ballistic-missile facilities. Iran has never suffered this level of damage, and with the most comprehensive economic sanctions seen in recent memory strangling Iran's economy, reconstituting this industrial capacity will take many years, and that assumes the extremely unpopular regime lasts that long. Beyond the battlefield, Iran's prestige and ability to wield influence in the Middle East have been severely degraded. Countries that once feared crossing Tehran publicly are now doing so, up to and including conducting air and missile strikes on military targets inside Iran. The United Arab Emirates has severed ties with Iran and has joined a self-defense pact that includes Turkey and Pakistan. Saudi Yes, the war is making a tough midterm even tougher, but to say that the United States is losing is just plain ludicrous. Arabia has participated in attacks on Iranian targets. And it genuinely looks like after decades of bullying by Iran, its neighbors, with the help of the bully of the Middle East—a major blow from which the regime will never fully recover. Iran's economy is in shambles, with point-to-point food and beverage inflation skyrocketing to between 113.8 and 128 percent, forcing essential groceries to more than double in cost over the past year. Overall inflation has soared above 60 to 80 percent, with food inflation in triple digits in many categories. Iran's currency, the rial, has collapsed, tens of thousands of factories and petrochemical plants being shuttered or damaged (estimates run to 20,000 industrial units affected), and oil revenues have dropped to a fraction of what they were. And with new sanctions coming online and a blockade it cannot lift, the Iranian regime is in dire straits, the likes of which it has not seen since overthrowing the shah. For some context, U.S. grocery prices have risen by only 2.7 percent over the past year, while overall U.S. inflation, bumped up by gasoline prices, stands at 3.5 percent. Adding to Iran's woes, when oil is not pumped from a well for an extended period, the well's future production is often severely degraded. The regime has been struggling to pay its troops and security forces on time; foreign bank accounts and financial channels have been severed or frozen. International Monetary Fund projections show a 6 percent gross domestic product contraction for 2026. And if the blockade stays in place, 2027 will be far worse. Iranian Regime in Historically Bad Shape When a government cannot pay its forces, the vast majority of whom are conscripts, keeping itself in power becomes much more difficult. Economic hardship, combined with the visible failure of the Islamic regime to Continued on A18

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A screenshot of a newspaper/magazine opinion article continuation (marked "Continued from A17") headlined "Iran Is Not Even Close to Winning the War." The piece argues that despite setbacks, the U.S. and Trump administration are strategically winning against Iran, citing declining Iranian regime support, polling data, shipping route changes around the Strait of Hormuz, defense industrial base shortcomings, and media coverage framing. A pull-quote is set off in the middle column. An author bio at the end identifies the writer as Mike Fredenburg, who writes on military technology and defense matters.

Text in image: Iran Is Not Even Close to Winning the War Continued from A17 protect its own territory or deliver prosperity, has diminished the regime's support among the small minority of Iranians that actually supported it before the current conflict ramped up. Further, while precise polling is difficult to obtain given the level of repression and control exerted by the regime, reporting by the GAMAAN institute indicates that substantial portions of the population view the strikes as justified or at least as a necessary reckoning with a failed system. U.S. President Donald Trump is far more popular in Iran than the regime itself—about 44 percent support for Trump versus roughly 13 percent support for the Islamic republic. Iran's Ability to Affect the World Economy Is Diminishing Daily Each day sees the importance of the Strait of Hormuz diminished, as pipelines and tankers are being built to give the world the capacity to bypass it. In as little as six months, the necessity of transiting the Strait of Hormuz will have been reduced to a fraction of what it was at the start of the conflict, permanently weakening Iran. By any reasonable standard of military degradation, strategic isolation, economic collapse, and regional realignment, it is the United States that is winning this war. The extra cost per trip on the new routes, such as those going around the Cape of Good Hope, is only about 0.5 percent to 1 percent of the value of the oil carried; in other words, a small fraction of the price swings we have seen in oil prices. Record numbers of Very Large Crude Carrier ships are being ordered, with some 60 expected to be delivered in 2027 and many more in 2028 and 2029. This additional capacity will facilitate the use of alternative routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Yes, the strait remains a vulnerability, but there is little doubt that its significance will be reduced as a consequence of this conflict. To be fair, the Trump administration has been overly optimistic at times. The war is almost certainly not going as planned. Further, it is clear that the administration had more confidence in what airpower alone could accomplish than was warranted, overestimated the effectiveness of our air defenses, and underestimated the effectiveness of Iran's drones and missiles. The conflict has also revealed major shortcomings in our defense industrial base, highlighted the Navy's failure to develop and field truly effective littoral combat ships in sufficient numbers, and has shown that the practice of spending millions of dollars on individual missiles is a loser that puts our national security at risk and needs to be immediately corrected if we are to have any chance against an opponent such as China. These are real problems that demand urgent attention, but they are problems inherited by the current administration, not created by it. Yet none of these problems and shortcomings change the fundamental strategic picture. Iran's navy is largely gone, its air force grounded, its factories and bases devastated, its economy collapsing, its regional influence shrinking, and its great-power allies unwilling to openly provide significant support. From a big-picture perspective, the ability to sporadically launch drones and missiles to harass shipping is a Pyrrhic victory that is incentivizing the world to lessen dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. Yes, the war is making a tough midterm even tougher, as the media have seized on it to divert attention away from the hundreds of Trump administration accomplishments that have made life better and safer for the average American, but to say that the United States is losing the war is just plain ludicrous. Mike Fredenburg writes on military technology and defense matters with an emphasis on defense reform. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and master's degree in production operations management.

Described automatically. The words above are a machine's reading of the picture, not Trump's.