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 My son has narrated the last book I wrote. Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click on Book Cover) World & Nation Iran claims it shot down US fighter jet and put bounty on missing pilot — as rescue mission launched  Iran claimed Friday it shot down an American fighter jet and put a bounty on the missing pilot — as a search-and-rescue operation was launched for the crew. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed “newly developed and advanced air defenses” had downed a fighter jet, which was “completely destroyed and crashed,” Tehran’s Press TV reported. It would be the first known loss of a jet inside the country since the start of the war, during which American and Israeli pilots have carried out more than 20,000 airstrikes, the Wall Street Journal reported. A US F-35A was damaged over Iran on March 19 during a combat mission, and 16 MQ-9 drones have been shot down, the outlet said.
High Court Setbacks May Have Led to Bondi Firing  Legal setbacks at the Supreme Court — including visible skepticism from justices about the administration's bid to limit birthright citizenship — are being cited by Reuters, CNN, and other outlets as a central factor in President Donald Trump's decision to fire Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday. Conservative legal scholar John C. Yoo — the Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at University of California, Berkeley School of Law; nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and former Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel official who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — told commentators Trump may have concluded "he needs new lawyers" after watching key cases play out unfavorably. Reuters reported that justices from across the ideological spectrum pushed back hard on the administration's constitutional arguments on birthright citizenship, suggesting a possible loss that could embarrass the White House and frustrate Trump's core immigration agenda.
The four words Trump said to Pam Bondi the day before he fired her as attorney general  President Trump told Attorney General Pam Bondi her time in his administration was up while the two rode from the White House to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, according to a report. “I think it’s time,” Trump said as he and Bondi made the short ride across town to take in the oral arguments of a highly contested birthright citizenship case, the Wall Street Journal reported. Bondi, who was sworn in as the United States Attorney General last February, allegedly asked the 79-year-old commander in chief if she could remain at her post until the summer. Trump denied the request, according to the outlet. California was horribly wrong about gender and kids California's classroom policies put children on a path to irreversible medical interventions with no proven benefits  The Supreme Court rebuked California early in March for forcing schools to hide students’ gender transitions from their parents. The legal stakes in this case are significant, but it also exposes a deeper divide over how society should respond when children experience gender distress — and how public health officials like us can shape policy to help those children flourish. Until recently, this debate was dominated by radical gender ideologues, who insist on affirmation at any cost. From their perspective, a girl who thinks she’s a boy is a boy. Failing to affirm this new identity, they believe, will cause more harm than irreversible surgeries or a lifetime regimen of cross-sex hormones. House Democrat gets unexpected response when he asks constituents about voter ID requirements Rep Shomari Figures asked a crowd of town hall attendees to raise their hand if they did not have an ID — no one did  A Democratic lawmaker created an online firestorm after appearing to inadvertently make the case for stricter voter ID requirements while criticizing a Trump-backed election bill. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., repeatedly said Monday that Democrats were not against voter identification at the ballot box as he discussed his opposition to the SAVE America Act at a town hall with constituents. The Alabama Democrat, however, appeared to imply that the town hall attendees might have a problem with it. "I’m of a different era, I’m of a different generation. I probably feel a little bit differently about it," Figures, 40, told a seemingly older crowd. "But watch this: how many people in here do not have an ID?" No one's hand went up. A shortened clip of the exchange posted to social media sparked backlash among conservatives, who said the video proved that a majority of Americans would have no issue complying with photo ID requirements. Trump says US can 'easily' open Strait of Hormuz with 'a little more time,' predicts global 'gusher'  President Donald Trump in a Truth Social Post on Friday said the U.S. could "easily" open the Strait of Hormuz with "a little more time." "With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD???" Trump wrote. The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to strain global energy markets as Operation Epic Fury approaches a sixth week. Artemis II crew describes life aboard Orion spacecraft on historic journey to the moon and back Astronaut Christina Koch says she's been sleeping upside down and finding out how to make the space capsule a home  NASA’s Artemis II crew is on its way to the moon, giving Americans a firsthand look at life aboard the spacecraft as they travel farther from Earth than any crew in more than half a century. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of the U.S., along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, boarded the 322-foot-tall Orion spacecraft and lifted off at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew is expected to travel around the moon and back. Speaking with Fox News’ Trace Gallagher Thursday night, the four-person crew described what it is like to be part of a mission set to carry astronauts farther from Earth than any crewed flight since the Apollo era — and what life aboard Orion is like as they begin their 10-day journey. WH Set to Release Trump's Budget With Major Increase in Defense Spending  President Donald Trump is asking Congress to boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion, the largest such request in decades and the latest signal of the president's emphasis on U.S. military investments. The 2027 plans for the Pentagon were confirmed in a White House outline of Trump's 2027 budget proposal released Friday. The White House summary says Trump's proposal would reduce nondefense spending by 10% by shifting some responsibilities to state and local governments. Even before the U.S.-led war against Iran, the Republican president had indicated he wanted to bolster defense spending to modernize the military for 21st-century threats. Separately, the Pentagon last month proposed $200 billion for the war effort and to backfill munitions and supplies. Trump, speaking ahead of an address to the nation this week about the Iran war, signaled the military is his priority, setting up a clash ahead in Congress.
Russia Launches Daytime Strikes on Ukraine, Killing 5, as Kyiv Holds Door Open for Easter Truce  Russian strikes killed at least five people across Ukraine on Friday, including in a "massive" missile and drone attack near the capital, local authorities reported. Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more key infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Kyiv's openness to a potential Easter truce. The holiday is celebrated on April 12 in both Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine is preparing for a shift in Russian aerial tactics, with intelligence indicating that future attacks will move beyond energy infrastructure.
Trump didn’t wreck NATO — he just exposed its anti-US hypocrisy By Victor Davis Hanson
NATO members are not legally required to join another member’s military operation that isn’t formally sanctioned by the alliance or aimed at protecting the membership’s homelands. But they often do just that. Some NATO members joined the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, on the theory that the Taliban and Saddam Hussein were dangers to all Western security in the post-9/11 environment. They followed the precedent set by America’s 1999 intervention in the distant Balkans, when it led a three-month NATO campaign to dismantle Slobodan Milosevic’s often bloody ambition to establish a Greater Serbia. Democratic battle pits moderates vs. progressives for soul of the party Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's fundraising dominance and progressive coalition could push Democrats left By Doug Schoen
Democrats are undoubtedly favored to retake the House in November’s midterms, and their odds of taking the Senate have jumped in recent weeks. Political betting site Polymarket gives Democrats an 86% chance to take the House, and now they even have a slight lead in the Senate. That said, the prospects for Democrats’ short-term success may be overshadowing what could be a defining moment in American politics. Specifically, Democrats’ intra-party dispute over which wing of the party will control their direction, messaging, ideas and principles: the seemingly moderate establishment or anti-establishment progressives? |
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