 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 My son has narrated the last book I wrote.
Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click HERE) World & Nation Trump Paused 'Operation Freedom' After Saudi Pushback  President Donald Trump abruptly paused “Project Freedom,” the short-lived U.S. military-backed operation aimed at escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The decision came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman suspended access to key Saudi bases and airspace needed for the mission, according to two U.S. officials. The operation had been announced by Trump on social media Sunday as a way to counter Iran’s blockade of the strategic waterway. Saudi leaders were angered by the move, saying they had not been adequately consulted beforehand, the officials told NBC News. In response, Saudi Arabia informed the United States it would no longer allow U.S. military aircraft to fly from Prince Sultan Airbase or transit Saudi airspace for the operation. Gas Prices Could Stay High Even if Hormuz Reopens  Americans are unlikely to see gasoline prices return to pre-war levels anytime soon, even if the United States and Iran reach a peace agreement reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to energy analysts who say fuel markets could take many months to stabilize. The national average price for regular gasoline stood at $4.54 per gallon Wednesday, up sharply from less than $3 before the conflict erupted earlier this year, according to AAA. Oil prices have eased in recent days amid reports of progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations, but analysts say consumers are unlikely to experience rapid relief at the pump because of lingering supply disruptions, elevated shipping costs and the slow pace of restoring normal oil flows through the Persian Gulf.
Iranian president speaks for first time about meeting with new supreme leader  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke publicly for the first time about a meeting with Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Mojtaba has made no public appearances since he was made supreme leader shortly after the death of his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba was injured in the same wave of strikes that killed his father. "I had the honor of meeting the dear leader," Pezeshkian said Thursday. "We spoke with him for nearly two and a half hours. First of all, I should tell you that his views and the way he interacted were truly sincere and humble." "For a leader to treat someone in such a manner, he truly had such a demeanor," he added. Mamdani's latest tax pledge 'makes no sense' and will only exacerbate Florida 'exodus': former mayor Mamdani recently celebrated a proposal to tax luxury second homes expected to generate at least $500M annually  The former Republican mayor of Boca Raton is speaking out against the economic and tax policies of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and warning that reports of business owners and job creators fleeing to red states like Florida are likely to continue. "I didn't have to be a soothsayer to know that when you elect a Democrat socialist with far left ideas that are just intent on taxing, taxing, taxing and have plans that have no hope of passing, you're going to cause more capital to flee," Scott Singer, running for Congress as a Republican in Florida's 25th District, told Fox News. Mamdani has faced heavy criticism over his "tax the rich" platform since taking office, including from Citadel CEO and billionaire Ken Griffin, who recently pledged to increase his investment in Florida in response to new taxes on the wealthy imposed by the new socialist mayor. Trump: Charge Jeffries With 'Inciting Violence' in Press Gala Attack  President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday, calling for the New York lawmaker to be charged with "inciting violence" in connection with the arrest of an armed man who attempted to enter the White House Correspondents' Dinner last month. "This lunatic, Hakeem 'Low IQ' Jeffries, should be charged with INCITING VIOLENCE!" Trump posted on his Truth Social page. "The Radical Left Democrats actually want to Destroy our Country. President DJT." Trump did not mention the attempted attack in his direct comment, but his post included side-by-side images of Jeffries standing in front of a sign pledging "maximum warfare" against Trump's agenda and a surveillance image of the gunman, later identified as California resident Cole Allen, as he tried to enter the event.
Scalpel-wielding teen busted in fatal Times Square stabbing — after eagle-eyed cops spot him jumping the turnstile  A 17-year-old boy was busted in the deadly stabbing of a 39-year-old man just off Times Square — and he was caught by eagle-eyed cops who spotted him jumping a subway turnstile while carrying a scalpel in Brooklyn, authorities and sources said Thursday. The boy — who has not been identified because of his age — was picked up around 8 p.m. Wednesday and also faces a weapon possession rap in the Monday night knifing of Leonides Baez, 39, police said. Officers were conducting a station inspection when they spotted the teen evading the fare and stopped him, according to law enforcement sources. They quickly realized he was wanted for the deadly Midtown stabbing two nights earlier, the sources said. White House torches Jayapal over Cuba oil outreach: Dems ‘sip margaritas with terrorists’ Conservative accounts accused the Washington Democrat of 'conspiring against the US' over her Cuba remarks  The White House slammed progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who admitted she spoke with foreign ambassadors about getting oil to Cuba despite U.S. sanctions, defending the outreach as "literally our right and responsibility." "The Democrats continue to show Americans who they really are – the America Last party who sip margaritas with terrorists, advocate for illegal alien criminals, and undermine the United States to aid a failed, communist regime," White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital. "Pramila Jayapal’s actions are shameful from a sitting Congresswoman clearly suffering from [Trump Derangement Syndrome]," Wales added. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said during a recent Seattle briefing following a congressional delegation trip to Cuba, that she discussed the island’s worsening fuel shortages and U.S. policy toward the communist regime. Bipartisan lawmakers push to remove Secret Service from DHS after Trump assassination attempts Bill would transfer the Secret Service to operate directly under the White House  A pair of House lawmakers are seeking a major change to the Secret Service after heightened scrutiny following the third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in April. Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Russell Fry, R-S.C., introduced legislation Thursday that would transfer the Secret Service from DHS supervision and make the agency a direct report to the White House. The measure is part of a broader package of bipartisan reforms that Moskowitz, a former emergency management director, is unveiling to reform the sprawling department that has come under frequent criticism for bureaucratic dysfunction. His legislative package would also make FEMA an independent cabinet-level agency and move TSA under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. Netanyahu on Beirut Hit: No Immunity for Terrorists  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday there was no "immunity" for Israel's enemies, a day after the Israeli military targeted a Hezbollah commander in its first strike on Beirut's southern suburbs since a ceasefire declared last month. Israel said the attack killed the commander of the Iran-backed group’s elite Radwan force. Hezbollah, which controls Beirut's southern suburbs, has yet to issue any statement on the strike or the commander's status. "He likely read in the press that he had immunity in Beirut. Well, he read it, and it is no longer the case," Netanyahu said in a statement. Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reignited on March 2 when the group opened fire at Israel after Tehran came under U.S.-Israeli attack. Marco Rubio is a rock star in the Trump admin – and making himself a serious candidate for prez in 2028 By Miranda Devine
From DJ’ing a wedding on the weekend to manning the White House press podium like a boss, from velvet-gloved diplomacy in Europe to juggling the roles of secretary of state and NSA director in the middle of a war, Marco Rubio is the administration’s secret charm bomb. President Trump rolls him out whenever he has a problem to solve. Whether it’s filling in as national archivist, blowing cartel drug boats out of the water, DOGEing USAID to death or sitting as vice chairman of the “Saving College Sports” council, Rubio is Trump’s Mr. Fix-it. His Tuesday stint filling in for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave, became a viral sensation on several fronts: his casual use of rap and hip-hop lyrics like “insane in the brain” (Cypress Hill) to describe the Iranian leaders and his warning that they “should check themselves before they wreck themselves” (Ice Cube) earned him cool dad credits with the press pool. When a reporter asked him for his “DJ name” because a video doing the rounds on social media over the weekend showed him spinning tracks at a family wedding, Rubio dryly replied: “You’re not ready for my DJ name.” Trump should demand a clear victory over Iran and reject weak compromises 'Leaks' of alleged 'deals' have been wrong before. Let’s pray the latest leak is as well By Hugh Hewitt
Since the
battle with Iran began on February 28, there have been so many reports
of "deals" with the rump regime atop the ruins of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps that it seems almost silly to respond to
another one.But Israeli journalist Amit Segal usually cross-checks all reports of deals — including the most recent one from Axios’ Barak Ravid — with senior Israeli officials, so I pay attention to Segal’s posts. On Wednesday, Segal quoted Ravid, posting on X: "According to @BarakRavid the U.S. and Iran are at the closest point to an agreement since the war began. That would be a terrible "deal," one that would draw fierce criticism from the GOP’s Iran hawks who want President Trump to "finish the job" and do so in dramatic fashion. The "end game" doesn’t have to be humiliation of the remnants of the rump regime atop the ruins of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps atop the shattered Iranian "government." But they are "lunatics" as both President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have called them — "insane in the head" Rubio added Tuesday from the White House press podium — and that’s generous. |
|