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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 HERE) World & Nation Iran fires on 2 ships in Strait of Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire  Iran has taken custody of two ships after opening fire in Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media says Iranian state media reports that Iranian forces have taken custody of two trade vessels in the Strait of Hormuz after opening fire on the ships Wednesday. Reports say the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have taken custody over the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas and are bringing them to Iran. Reports said Iran fired on a third vessel in the strait as well, but did not take it into custody. International ship tracking from Marine Traffic shows both vessels stationary off the coast of Iran in the strait. Iran Fires on Three Container Ships in Strait of Hormuz
Treasury Escalates Iran Pressure Even as Trump Extends Ceasefire  The U.S. Treasury Department is escalating sanctions enforcement against Iran even as President Donald Trump has authorized an extension of a fragile ceasefire that was set to expire, according to a Newsmax report and a Truth Social post attributed to the president. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department is intensifying what officials describe as a "maximum pressure" campaign — internally referred to as "Economic Fury" — aimed at constraining Iran's ability to generate, move, and repatriate revenue through oil exports and global financial networks. Officials said the effort is focused on disrupting Tehran's maritime trade routes, which Washington considers a primary source of regime funding, and warned that vessels, companies, or intermediaries involved in sanctions evasion could face designation, asset freezes, and broader financial restrictions.
Reactions pour in to Virginia approving gerrymandered districts favoring Democrats  Virginia narrowly passed a special ballot resolution to quickly redraw its voting district maps to turn a 6-5 Republican U.S. House delegation into a potential 10-1 Democrat edge in the upcoming midterm elections this November. Republicans say there is a constitutional challenge to the timing and structure of the ballot question that passed, vowing to appeal. Obama blasted for praising Virginia gerrymander as boost for ‘democracy’ Social media was not having any of former President Barack Obama's political posturing. Obama is getting blasted Wednesday after celebrating Virginia voters’ approval of a redistricting measure that could heavily benefit Democrats in the state’s House delegation. Va. OKs Congressional Map Change Seen as GOP Setback  Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment allowing the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to redraw the state's congressional map, a move Republicans warn could cement a lopsided partisan advantage in the House. Newsmax called the race about 90 minutes after polls closed at 7 p.m. ET. Even though opposition to the measure was leading by about 36,000 votes when the race was called, most of the remaining votes were still in Democrat-leaning areas, including Fairfax County and Richmond. The measure temporarily suspends Virginia's bipartisan redistricting system and gives lawmakers authority to adopt new congressional districts through 2030. Warsh: Trump Has Not Pressured Me to Cut Rates  President Donald Trump's nominee to chair the Federal Reserve said Tuesday that he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates, even as the president renewed his calls for the central bank to do so. "The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, and nor would I agree to it if he had," Kevin Warsh said under questioning by the Senate Banking Committee. "I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve." Warsh's comments came just hours after Trump, in an interview on CNBC, was asked if he would be disappointed if Warsh doesn't immediately cut rates, and said, "I would."
Southern Poverty Law Center Indicted on Federal Fraud Charges  A federal grand jury in Alabama indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center on 11 counts Tuesday, charging the civil rights nonprofit with defrauding donors through a concealed program that paid members of the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel said. The case represents the most significant federal prosecution ever brought against a leading civil rights organization. The indictment, returned in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, charges the Montgomery, Alabama-based organization with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of making false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ukraine Has Asked Turkey to Host Zelenskyy-Putin Meeting  Ukraine has asked Turkey to host a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, its top diplomat said, as Kyiv seeks to reinvigorate stalling peace talks. "We asked the Turks about it, we asked some other capitals," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in comments to reporters on Tuesday that were cleared for release on Wednesday. He added that Ukraine would be ready to consider any place other than Belarus or Russia for a meeting with Putin, which Zelenskyy has long sought to try to hasten a resolution of the more than four-year war.
Democrat Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick of Fla. Resigns Amid Ethics Probe  Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned on Tuesday before the House could sanction her in an ethics investigation. Members of the House Ethics Committee on Tuesday were set to weigh what punishment to recommend after they found she committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, including breaking campaign finance laws. “This was not a fair process,” she said in a statement. Republicans had already called for the expulsion of Cherfilus-McCormick, who is in her third term and is running for reelection in a southeastern Florida district. Ilhan Omar explodes at reporter for asking about multimillion-dollar disclosure discrepancy: ‘You’re stupid for asking me anything’  Far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar blew up on a reporter this week for asking questions about accounting “discrepancies” the Democrat blamed for overstating her net worth by millions of dollars on financial disclosure forms. In May of last year, Omar (D-Minn.) claimed she and her husband, Tim Mynett, held assets worth between $6 million and $30 million. However, an amended filing reported by the Wall Street Journal last week put the couple’s wealth at between $18,004 and $95,000. The lawmaker claimed the initial filing was riddled with accounting errors. “Congresswoman Omar, the last time I spoke to you, you said I was stupid for asking about your financial disclosure, but there’s some discrepancies on there. Would you like to explain that? How did you make such a big mistake?” a Lindell TV reporter asked Omar Tuesday. “I think you’re stupid for asking me anything,” snapped the visibly annoyed Omar, a sarcastic smile plastered on her face. Sen. Chris Murphy is cheering for America’s enemies as Dems spew lies about Trump, Israel By Michael Goodwin
Just how low can the Dems go? If Chris Murphy is any indication, it won’t be long until the entire party is in the gutter cheering for America’s enemies. Murphy, a Connecticut senator making noises about running for president in 2028, sounds as if he would be a better fit as Iran’s ayatollah. “Awesome” was how he greeted a disputed report saying two dozen Iranian ships had broken the American blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. He later whined that he was misunderstood. Trump’s Operation Epic Fury humiliated the experts and redrew the Middle East From China's absence to stable energy prices, the dire warnings about Trump's Operation Epic Fury have largely failed to materialize By Victoria Coates
When Operation Epic Fury began almost two months ago, Washington’s class of self-proclaimed foreign policy experts began warning that it would lead to several unintended and alarmingly negative secondary consequences. The general consensus seemed to be that, from President Donald Trump on down, the administration was not doing the long-term planning to prevent these bad outcomes, notably countries in the region shifting away from the U.S. to China, a broadening war led by Iran’s proxies and devastating spikes in energy prices. Even more shockingly, according to these experts, the president had not consulted with NATO allies before the action, depriving America of their critical support. While Epic Fury is certainly not over and outcomes remain uncertain, we now have enough perspective to determine whether these dire prognostications have come to pass. The experts’ scorecard to date is not good. |
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