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SOFREP Morning Brief: Mexican Navy Ship Hits Brooklyn Bridge, Hamas Leader’s Body Found in Tunnel in Gaza, 1 Killed in Bomb Blast in Palm Springs, Trump’s Plan for Troop Pay Raise Hits Budget Snag

BY Guy D. McCardle

Good Morning, it’s Sunday May 18th, 2025. Today’s Headlines: A Mexican Navy tall ship crashes into the Brooklyn Bridge, Hamas’s new military chief is reportedly killed in Gaza, a car bomb rocks a California fertility clinic, and Trump’s promise of a troop pay raise hits resistance from his own party.

A Mexican naval vessel struck the Brooklyn bridge resulting in two deaths.

A tragic accident occurred on the evening of Saturday, May 17, 2025, when the Mexican Navy’s training ship Cuauhtémoc struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge. The vessel, a tall sailing ship measuring about 297 feet in length with masts reaching 160 feet, was carrying 277 people—mostly naval cadets—as part of a global goodwill and training mission. While maneuvering near the Brooklyn side of the East River, the ship experienced a mechanical failure and lost power, causing it to drift uncontrollably into the bridge’s support structure.

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As the Cuauhtémoc passed beneath the bridge, its three towering masts collided with the structure and snapped. Some crew members who had been standing on the masts were left hanging high above the deck in harnesses, waiting for rescue. The incident resulted in the deaths of two crew members and left at least 19 others injured, several of them critically. Fortunately, all personnel were accounted for, and no one fell into the river. There were also no injuries reported among people on the bridge.

Despite the dramatic and deadly collision, the 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge did not sustain major damage and was reopened after a preliminary inspection. The crash happened around 8:20 p.m. and was witnessed by crowds along the waterfront, many of whom fled in panic as the scene unfolded.

The Cuauhtémoc had recently docked in New York as part of its planned visit to 22 ports in 15 countries, having departed from Acapulco, Mexico, in April. It was scheduled to continue on to Iceland. Following the accident, the New York Coast Guard and local emergency teams responded quickly, treating the injured and securing the area. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the ship’s mechanical and power failure. This rare and tragic event involving an international naval vessel in a major U.S. city has raised questions about maritime safety and emergency preparedness in busy urban waterways.

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Hamas Leader’s Body Found in Gaza Tunnel

Muhammad Sinwar, the man widely believed to have taken the reins of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza after the deaths of his brother Yahya Sinwar and longtime commander Muhammad Deif, is reported dead following an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis.

According to sources, including Saudi outlet Al-Hadath, Sinwar was found dead alongside ten of his top aides in a tunnel complex beneath the southern Gaza city. The strike, carried out last Tuesday, was part of a larger Israeli operation targeting Hamas leadership believed to be hiding under a European Hospital—a move that underscores how deeply embedded Hamas remains in civilian infrastructure.

There are also reports suggesting that Mohammad Shabana, the commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, was killed in the same operation. However, as of May 18, 2025, Israel has not officially confirmed the deaths. Defense Minister Israel Katz did say there are “strong indications” that Sinwar was eliminated, but the IDF has yet to make a definitive statement.

Muhammad Sinwar was no small fish. Known as a hardliner even within Hamas, he stepped into leadership after his brother Yahya—long one of Israel’s most wanted men—was killed during the ongoing war that began in October 2023. Since then, Muhammad had been a thorn in the side of any effort to broker a ceasefire or secure the release of hostages. If his death is confirmed, it would mark yet another blow to what remains of Hamas’s senior leadership in Gaza—a leadership that has been steadily thinned out by Israeli operations over the past year.

 

1 Killed in Bomb Blast at Palm Springs Reproductive Clinic

A deadly bombing rocked Palm Springs, California, on the morning of May 17, 2025, when an explosion outside the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic killed one person and injured at least four others. The blast happened just before 11 a.m. near the intersection of North Indian Canyon Drive and East Tachevah Drive—less than a mile from downtown. The FBI has labeled it an “intentional act of terrorism” and is leading the investigation, with help from local police and the ATF.

The explosion came from a parked car outside the clinic. That vehicle was obliterated, and the blast caused major damage to the clinic, nearby buildings, and even shattered windows blocks away. The person killed is believed to be the bomber himself—a 25-year-old man from Twentynine Palms, though his identity hasn’t been officially released. Found near the wreckage were two rifles—an AK-47 and an AR-style weapon—along with ammunition, raising further questions about what he may have had planned.

Thankfully, the clinic was closed for the weekend, so no staff or patients were among the seriously injured. Four people nearby were hurt in the blast, but details about their conditions haven’t been made public. Authorities are now digging into the possibility that the explosion may have been livestreamed online.

The investigation has extended to the suspect’s home in Twentynine Palms, where law enforcement searched for additional explosives. The FBI and Palm Springs officials have been clear: this was a deliberate terrorist act. Still, they say there’s no ongoing threat to the public. Even so, the attack has rattled nerves across the city.

One moment, it’s just a quiet Saturday morning, and the next, downtown Palm Springs feels like a war zone.

 

Trump’s Plan for Troop Pay Raise Hits Budget Snag

President Donald Trump has promised U.S. troops a “substantial” pay raise in his 2026 defense budget plan, calling it essential for morale and military readiness. He made the pledge during a visit to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where he emphasized his desire to boost Defense Department funding and specifically pointed to increasing pay for service members across the board. But when the official budget documents dropped, the numbers told a different story.

According to the proposal, troops are set to receive a 3.8% pay raise in January 2026. That’s down from the 4.5% bump they got in 2025 and would mark the smallest increase in several years. The 3.8% figure aligns with the federal formula used to keep military salaries in line with civilian wage growth, but it falls far short of the “substantial” raise Trump promised. What’s more, the budget doesn’t include any extra money for targeted raises, like the larger increases junior enlisted troops received last year. And although some lawmakers have floated the idea of boosting pay for senior enlisted ranks, that’s not in the budget either.

So why the holdup? The problem lies within Trump’s own party. Conservative Republicans in Congress are blocking his overall budget, demanding steeper cuts to social programs like Medicaid before they’ll sign off on new spending—including military pay hikes. On top of that, Trump’s budget aims to fund tax cuts, immigration enforcement, and military expansion by slashing money from healthcare, education, clean energy, and nutrition programs. These competing priorities have sparked serious infighting among Republicans, making it tough to rally enough votes to pass much of  anything.

Bottom line: Trump’s pledge to give troops a big raise is running into a political buzzsaw. The 3.8% increase may be standard by government metrics, but it doesn’t live up to the president’s bold rhetoric. And with Congress deeply divided—even within the GOP—it’s unclear whether troops will see more money in their paychecks without significant compromises elsewhere in the budget.

 

 

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