The U.S. and U.K. are increasingly concerned that Russia is sharing with Iran secret information and technology that could bring it closer to being able to build nuclear weapons, in exchange for Tehran providing Moscow with ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has increased its cooperation with Iran over its ambitions to obtain atomic weapons in recent months, according to Western officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss assessments that haven’t been made public. The development was discussed by U.S. and U.K. officials in Washington this week, the people added, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met President Joe Biden at the White House for a strategic meeting on foreign policy. They described it as worrying, and an escalation of Russia and Iran’s military ties. Biden’s administration remains deeply concerned with Iran’s nuclear activities, according to a spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council. Biden has made it clear that the U.S. is ready to use all elements of national power to prevent any nuclear escalation by Iran, the spokesperson said Saturday. Russia’s Foreign Ministry and Iran’s embassy at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna didn’t respond to requests for comment. Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned “Iran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles” in a joint statement on Saturday, calling it a further escalation of Iranian military support to Russia’s war in Ukraine and demanding that it cease immediately. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested during a recent visit to London that Russia was exchanging nuclear technology with Tehran, saying Moscow had received a shipment of Iran’s Fath-360 ballistic missiles. “For its part, Russia is sharing technology that Iran seeks — this is a two-way street — including on nuclear issues, as well as some space information,” Blinken said. Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy agreed during talks in London that “Iran’s nuclear program had never been more advanced,” the U.S. State Department said in a joint statement Saturday. Starmer will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Monday to discuss Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, among other topics. Italy has traditionally sought to project itself as a mediator in the Middle East, maintaining relations

In 2017, Doherty High School’s senior naval science instructor started a project to honor the wartime contributions of service members from Colorado Springs. Five years later, with the help of a local mural artist, retired Navy Capt. Greg Thomas’ project was completed. Dubbed the Hall of Honor, the project consists of a two-wall mural festooned with images of warships and aircraft, as well as plaques commemorating local war heroes like Phil Long, the former fighter pilot and auto dealership titan, and Navy Petty Officer Daniel Griffin, the first Coloradan to die in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that brought the U.S. into World War II. Now, Thomas is looking to expand on the project with a display that will help preserve naval artifacts that might otherwise be thrown away. Last month, while in Texas for biannual training, Thomas met a man who had several old plaques from decommissioned Navy ships. A former helicopter pilot, Thomas recognized one of the ships, USS Mount Hood, as a platform he had once flown on. “The guy had a few plaques on a table,” said Thomas, who heads Doherty’s Navy Junior ROTC. “He said, ‘Do you have any use for these? My kids don’t want them.’ So I took them.” Since then, Thomas has collected 36 ship’s plaques, some from donations, others purchased on eBay. His plan is to augment the Hall of Honor project with 200-300 plaques, he said. Typically made of brass, the plaques were often gifted to sailors as end-of-tour mementos. When those service members die, the plaques are often thrown out, Thomas said. “I would be willing to bet the vast majority of these things end up in a landfill somewhere,” Thomas said. “I want to preserve these any way I can. They are a part of naval history. And they’re just very interesting and unique to see.” Each plaque represents its

Intel Higher On Report Of $3.5 Billion Chip Deal With Pentagon  Shares of American chipmaker Intel are marginally higher in premarket trading following a Friday evening Bloomberg report indicating the company could secure up to $3.5 billion in federal grants to manufacture chips for US military and intelligence applications. The report was based on sources familiar with the chipmaker’s binding agreement with US officials. They said the secretive Pentagon program, ‘Secure Enclave,’ that awarded Intel $3.5 billion, is a move by the military to produce chips domestically, more especially in several states, including a facility in Arizona.  Here’s more from Bloomberg: The funding could be announced as soon as next week, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. It would add to a possible $8.5 billion in grants and $11 billion in loans that Intel was awarded in March under the Chips and Science Act, a law that President Joe Biden signed in 2022 to revitalize US semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on Asia. Intel is still negotiating the terms of that broader incentive package, which is intended to support facilities in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico and Oregon. Like other Chips Act winners, Intel hasn’t received any money yet, and its award is considered preliminary. The funding for Secure Enclave also comes from the Chips Act grant program administered by the Commerce Department — following a dispute earlier this year over which agency would be responsible — but was handled outside of the standard application process. The agreement on Secure Enclave comes amid the dumpster fire at Intel under the direction of CEO Pat Gelsinger, who is doing his best to replace Marissa Mayer as the most overpaid and useless ‘turnaround’ CEO in tech history. Last month, the struggling chipmaker reported a devastating earnings report