- Thursday April 16th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Hegseth: US Is 'Locked and Loaded' on Iran
War Secretary
Pete Hegseth on Thursday said the U.S. military is "locked and loaded"
and prepared to escalate against Iran if negotiations fail.
"We are locked
and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining
power generation, and on your energy industry," Hegseth said during his
weekly press conference at the Pentagon, where Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Admiral Bradley Cooper, the
commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), also spoke.
"We'd rather
not have to do it, but we're ready to go at the command of our
president and at the push of a button," Hegseth told reporters, with
his comments airing live on Newsmax and Newsmax2.
Hegseth issued a direct warning to Iran's military leadership, saying the imbalance in capabilities is decisive.
Ex-Virginia
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax kills wife, shoots himself in murder-suicide at
multimillion-dollar home amid ‘messy divorce,’ cops say
Embattled
former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed his estranged wife and
himself inside their million-dollar home outside the nation’s capital
early Thursday, cops said.
The 47-year-old
Democrat repeatedly shot Cerina Fairfax in the basement of their
Annandale residence just after midnight before turning the gun on
himself in another part of the abode, according to Fairfax County
Police Chief Kevin Davis.
The couple’s
two teenage children were inside the home at the time of the
murder-suicide, and their son called 911 to report the shootings.
“It is
high-profile in nature, it’s tragic in nature. Certainly a fall from
grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had had a lot
of things going in their favor,” Davis told reporters shortly before
the couple’s bodies were removed from the home.
“So, tragic for
the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be
in the home when it occurred. So yeah, there’s a lot going on.”
Tulsi Gabbard Refers Trump Impeachment Figures to DOJ
Director of
National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly has asked the Justice
Department to investigate two former government officials who played
key roles in the 2019 impeachment of President Donald Trump.
According to
multiple reports, Gabbard sent criminal referrals targeting the
original impeachment whistleblower and former Intelligence Community
Inspector General Michael Atkinson, following the declassification of
documents she says raise serious concerns about how the case against
Trump was handled.
An Office of
the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) spokesperson confirmed
that a referral was made "related to one or more former employees of
the Intelligence Community and their role in the 2019 impeachment of
President Trump," though specific charges were not outlined.
Republicans rip 4 blue states for keeping taxes on tips, overtime after Trump reprieve
GOP rips Dem obstruction on 'making life more affordable' before midterms
Four
Democrat-led states that rejected President Donald Trump's policy of no
taxes on tips and overtime pay are getting called out by Republicans
for going against efforts to increase affordability.
The governors
of the three largest Democrat-run states, California, New York and
Illinois, are continuing to tax tips and overtime against Trump's One
Big Beautiful Bill Act, while Colorado will require taxpayers to report
how much is deducted federally so it can be added back for state taxes
in future years.
"Gov. Hochul
and Albany Democrats believe your money is their money: They are
picking the pockets of waitresses, bartenders, and first responders who
work overtime just to make ends meet in a state that already has the
highest tax burden in the country," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox
News Digital.
"No wonder
working people and jobs continue to flee New York in record numbers,
and we’re consistently among the worst in outmigration every year."
Tyler Robinson judge unseals ATF report in assassination of Charlie Kirk
Prosecutors allege DNA consistent with Tyler Robinson's was found on the gun, towel and three of four rounds inside it
New evidence in
the Charlie Kirk murder plot, including DNA, fingerprints, and a
chilling confession note, is revealed in court documents from Provo,
Utah. The alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, penned the letter to his
partner before the attempted murder. This development significantly
strengthens the prosecution's case against Robinson. Additionally, an
illegal migrant murder suspect and a fireworks CEO facing charges are
discussed.
The Utah judge
overseeing the case against Charlie Kirk's accused assassin Tyler
Robinson has unsealed a ballistics report from the federal Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that could not conclusively
match a bullet fragment to the suspected murder weapon but confirmed a
match with the spent casing.
Prosecutors
have alleged that separate testing found DNA consistent with Robinson's
on the gun, on the towel and on three of the four rounds inside.
The report's
conclusions had already been made public in prior court proceedings,
but the document itself is now available from the court, and it
includes some new details.
Clarence Thomas: Progressivism Threatens Founding Ideals
Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas said the values enshrined in the Declaration of
Independence have "fallen out of favor" among Americans, with
"progressivism" seeking to replace the document's premises and the
United States' form of government.
Speaking
Wednesday at the University of Texas Austin School of Law, Thomas
delivered a critique of modern political trends, warning that the
nation's founding principles are under increasing pressure from
ideological shifts in academia and government.
"Progressivism
seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence
and hence our form of government," Thomas said, arguing that the
movement rejects the idea that rights come from God and instead places
authority in government institutions.
Inside shamed Eric Swalwell’s extraordinarily close relationship with Hollywood — and how he was paid by ‘spy’ company
In 2024, Eric
Swalwell was vacationing in Thailand and visited the set of HBO’s “The
White Lotus” Season 3. Even a top Hollywood powerbroker might be turned
away from one of the industry’s most locked-down productions, known for
its secrecy. But Swalwell was met with open arms.
“Eric had a
friend on that show and wound up spending time with the cast and crew
while they were all living at the Four Seasons,” says a Swalwell friend
who works in the industry.”
Then again,
Swalwell had a knack for moving in and out of Hollywood crowds
effortlessly. While serving California’s 14th district, the
now-disgraced Democrat — who in the past few days suspended his
gubernatorial run and announced his resignation from Congress amidst a
swirl of sexual assault allegations — had an unlikely side hustle:
movie producer.
Woke Boston mayor hands out $500 haircut and massage vouchers to queer and trans migrants, refugees
Boston’s woke
Mayor Michelle Wu is funding a new program that gives “queer and trans”
migrants up to $500 for massages, yoga classes and creative healing —
despite the city being crushed by a nearly $50 million deficit.
The so-called
“wellness allowances” are being handed out by a nonprofit called
OUTnewcomers and is backed by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant
Advancement, the group revealed Wednesday.
“We’re offering
$250–$500 wellness allowances for LGBTQ+ migrants in Boston to support
their mental health and well-being through non-clinical care including
yoga, meditation, creative healing, peer support, hair salon/
acupuncture & massages appointments and gym memberships etc.,” an
advertisement blasted out by the group reads.
Biden’s weaponized Justice Department is just Democrats vs. democracy
By New York Post Editorial Board
In a saner
world, the political weaponization of the Department of Justice under
President Joe Biden would be a bipartisan scandal, but the “moderates”
in today’s Democratic Party won’t lift a finger to protect traditional
norms.
The latest
horror story is this week’s report on flagrant abuses, including the
withholding of evidence and “aggressive arrest tactics” when targeting
pro-life defendants; the nearly 900-page review also shows Attorney
General Merrick Garland’s prosecutors demanding far harsher prison
sentences for pro-lifers than pro-choicers convicted on similar charges.
Acting Attorney
General Todd Blanche rightly called it a “two-tiered system of justice”
with “selective prosecution based on beliefs.”
Garland’s DOJ
went after peaceful demonstrators outside abortion clinics even as it
ignored serious violence against pro-life “crisis pregnancy” centers.
DAVID MARCUS: Why Democrats' harebrained popular vote scheme might backfire
Only 18 states have signed on so far, and the compact needs enough to total 270 electoral votes before taking effect
By David Marcus
The 250th
birthday of the United States of America makes our nation one of the
longest-running representative democratic systems of government in
world history, so of course, harebrained Democrats think it is broken
and must be fixed.
This week,
Virginia became the 18th state to sign on to an interstate compact to
pledge its votes to the winner of the national popular vote in
presidential elections, rather than these states sending electors who
support the candidate who won each state’s individual race.
So, for
example, had this compact been complete and in place in the 2024
presidential election, Virginia, which voted for Democrat Kamala
Harris, would have sent its 13 electoral votes to popular vote winner
Donald Trump instead.
