The Iran war may be entering its next stage. What is that? We don’t know and President Trump is trying to figure that out.
Pope Leo has some comments about AI and the dangers it may possess. He’s not wrong on a lot of it.
And Virginia is about to implement some of the harshest gun control laws in the country in violation of the Second Amendment. Thank God there are some real Americans still living in Virginia.
Some News:
Here is some news:
Hasan Piker has been subpoenaed by the Feds for violating Cuba sanctions.
They are focusing on Leftists donors that made this trip possible.
This is also a way to counter the anti-U.S. propaganda.
Tulsi Gabbard has resigned from her position in the government. She is the Director of National Intelligence.
Her husband is suffering from a rare bone disease and she has decided to be with him.
President Donald Trump will convene a rare Cabinet meeting at Camp David Wednesday as negotiations with Iran enter a critical phase.
All Cabinet members are expected to attend the meeting, first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by Fox News, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
A gunman has been shot dead after approaching a White House security checkpoint and firing at officers, federal officials have said.
The White House, where Donald Trump was present, was briefly locked down on Saturday as the sound of a sustained volley of gunshots rang out, sending journalists in the area running for cover.
A crazed gunman who believed he was Jesus Christ pulled out a revolver and opened fire outside the White House Saturday night, before he was quickly taken down by a barrage of shots from the Secret Service, sources said.
Nasire Best, 21, fired at a checkpoint at about 6:10 p.m. after being seen pacing in a strange manner up and down 17th St. Northwest, sources told The Post. He only got off a few shots before he was shot and killed in a hail of bullets from federal officers.
During the shooting, a bystander was also shot. The Secret Service said: “It remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire.”
Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, died at the age of 41 from complications related to severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. His passing was announced on May 21, 2026, just hours after he was hospitalized for a severe illness.
Pope Leo unveiled the Vatican’s new encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” warning that artificial intelligence risks becoming a tool of “domination, exclusion and death” unless governments and institutions place moral limits on the rapidly developing technology.
The Vatican is formally entering the global debate over artificial intelligence as governments and tech companies race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems with limited international regulation.
The pontiff invoked Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” which addressed worker exploitation during the Industrial Revolution, arguing that AI represents a similarly transformative moment threatening human dignity.
“Today we find ourselves facing a transformation of similar magnitude, with perhaps even greater consequences,” the Pope said.
The pope warned about increasingly autonomous weapons systems that are beyond meaningful human control. He also said AI systems could block access to healthcare, employment and security because of biased data. He compared AI governance to nuclear arms control.
“Like nuclear energy, it must be at the service of all and of the common good,” he said.
The pope said disarming AI alone is not enough and called on governments and institutions to “build” systems rooted in trust and human dignity. Recalling devastating floods in Peru, he said rebuilding means restoring trust and hope.
The pope also laid out the church’s broader argument about humanity and technology.
“The person bears within him- or herself a freedom, an interiority and a vocation to love and worship that no machine can replace,” he said.
The Vatican is attempting to insert moral theology into a largely secular technological arms race.
Ryan Mehaffey, a Marine veteran and Virginia prosecutor, is taking a hard-line stance against what he believes is an “unconstitutional” new gun ban signed by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Spanberger, who has been slipping in the polls amid criticisms of her progressive policy agenda, signed a new bill last week banning the future sale and manufacture of “assault weapons,” including many semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. The law also bans the future sale of magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.
The move caused immediate backlash from many Virginians and raised new Second Amendment violation concerns. Rather than protest, however, Mehaffey, who serves as the commonwealth attorney for Spotsylvania County, is drawing a line in the sand and flatly refusing to enforce the ban.
With the bill set to take effect this July ahead of America’s 250th anniversary of independence, Mehaffey sent a letter to Spotsylvania Sheriff Roger Harris, instructing him that the ban is “unconstitutional and cannot be lawfully enforced.”
He said
“Our founders were careful to make sure when they drafted our founding document, that the ultimate right of the people was preserved to defend themselves and to defend their community. So, the linchpin of the constitutional analysis is going to be does this instrument have some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a regulated militia.”
Mehaffey argues that in Virginia, historical tradition and case law precedent not only allow citizens to own firearms but even require them to arm themselves with the weapons of a basic infantryman for common defense. In the Founding Fathers’ time, Mehaffey said the standard issue was a musket and 20 rounds. Today, the basic infantry weapon in the U.S. military is the M4A1 carbine equipped with a 30-round magazine.
“The second amendment may not mean that you are allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” he laughed. “But what it does allow you to have is a basic infantry weapon.”
“That sort of weapon is the core of what’s protected by the Second Amendment. Not necessarily a nuclear warhead, but a rifle that you can take out and form either a fire team or a company to defend yourself and to defend your community.”
“My position is not based on politics. It is based on constitutional fidelity,” he continued, adding, “The Bill of Rights either means something, or it does not.”
“As Commonwealth’s Attorney, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Virginia. That oath is not situational, and it does not change based on politics, headlines, or pressure from either side of an issue.”
Mehaffey believes he and those standing beside him on this issue will ultimately prevail.
“The Second Amendment is the supreme law of the land, both in the U.S. Constitution and the analog in the Virginia Constitution,” he explained. “So, whatever law is passed by the General Assembly is not going to have the ability to supersede the Constitution.”
Surprise, surprise, surprise! Talks with Iran may begin again this week.
The Donald Trump and Pope Leo are having a tiff. I have some thoughts.
And have you mowed your lawn this week? If you did, you are a racist!
News
Here is some news:
Peace talks between the U.S. and Iran could restart as soon as Thursday this week after President Donald Trump imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
A fragile truce between Tehran and Washington remains in place as leaders attempt to negotiate a wider deal.
I do have some comments about the Pope Leo/Donald Trump kurfuffle.
President Joe Biden’s administration relied on information gathered from radical pro-abortion groups to track, prosecute, and snoop on peaceful pro-life protesters, shocking emails released Tuesday by the Trump administration show.
Do Any of These Guys Take Any Personal Responsibility?
According to the Daily Wire:
Maine Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Maine, faced backlash for his Nazi-symbol tattoo and several nasty social media posts — and during a recent interview, he attributed both on the “culture” that he was exposed to while serving in the United States military.
Platner, who served both in the Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, got the tattoo covered up after the initial public outcry, appeared on “The Takeout with Major Garrett” — and he argued that the “hyper-masculine” culture in the infantry had “colored” his perspective in the past.
In response to controversy surrounding a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol and comments he made previously on Reddit, Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner says "much of it was because of the culture I had come out of."
A woke TikTok user is facing widespread backlash online after posting a video arguing that maintaining a well-kept lawn is tied to racism.
The user, @softchaoschannel, shared a video on Monday on TikTok, saying, “I can’t stop thinking about how grass lawns are racist and like, based in white supremacy.”
Leftist TikToker says that having a grass lawn is "racist and based in white supremacy."
Um, so keeping a nice lawn is white supremacy? Does that mean blacks and other people of color don’t like nice lawn (I know that’s not true)?
Why is a well-kept lawn racist? Is it because blacks are incapable to keep lawn well manicured?
Probably. The Left already tells us blacks can’t be on time, can’t work hard, can’t get IDs, can’t get into colleges and so forth.
This is the bigotry of low expectations. This is racism. This is the true white supremacy. All infront of her nice house and, probably, well-manacured lawn.
Negotiations have started and finished over the Iran war. If anyone thought Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing is very odd to me.
The race for governor is heating up in California. You can tell. The backstabbing has begun.
And the Artemis II mission comes to a spectacular end. Folks, we’re going back to the moon.
News
Here is some news:
Along the Iran front
Talks have broken down in Pakistan after just 24 hours.
The United States had six “red lines” that Iran must adhere to:
Open the Straight of Hormuz with no conditions.
Iran must end all uranium enrichment.
Iran must dismantle all nuclear facilities.
Iran must retreive and turn over all enriched unranium.
Accept peace framework initiated by the United States.
Iran must end funding to terror proxies including Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah.
Trump is not surprised. He announced a blockage of the Straight of Hormuz.
He plans to clear all mines.
We will be getting help from some other countries.
There has been nothing said about bombing power plants or taking Kharg Island.
Eric Swalwell, the nominee for governor of California is under investigation for rape in New York.
He has been accused of a multitude of things including:
Paying a prostitute (there’s video of this).
Paying a nanny with campaign funds.
Thge nanny was also accused of being an illegal alien.
Accused of sleeping with interns.
Strange how all this comes out now.
Finally, the Orion spacecraft came back to Earth, safe and sound in one of the most amazing missions in human history.
🚨 BOOM! The Strait of Hormuz was Iran's LAST HOPE, and President Trump is taking it AWAY from them
Shouldn't have stonewalled JD Vance in Pakistan!
"Now they have no leverage left, because they were decimated on the battlefield, and they're looking to the Strait of Hormuz, and… pic.twitter.com/H2wIp7PX0D
The deranged homeless man accused of savagely butchering Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte light rail train has been found “incapable to proceed” on state murder charges.
According to a motion filed April 7, Decarlos Brown Jr. was evaluated Dec. 29 at Central Regional Hospital, and the subsequent report determined he was not competent to stand trial, according to WBTV. His attorney has asked the court to delay his competency hearing by 180 days.
The results were previously sealed in state court and were only revealed as the motion was filed.
Prosecutors did not object to the requested 180-day delay of Brown’s Rule 24 hearing, which was previously scheduled for April 30, which will determine whether he is fit to proceed with a potential death penalty trial.
Brown is also facing federal charges — and will remain in custody on that case, his lawyer Daniel Roberts said.
A judge must now determine whether to accept the report’s findings, and the case against him will likely be delayed until his capacity is determined to be “restored” by the court, the station reported.
In the motion filed by Brown’s public defender, he claimed the court-required capacity hearing cannot take place with the accused killer in federal custody, and that the court also can’t order to have his capacity restored.
If a judge agrees Brown is incompetent to stand trial, state law mandates the charges be dismissed. However, if the judge issues the ruling without prejudice, state murder charges could be refiled if he ever regains his capacity to be tried.
A similar situation happened in the Tar Heel State in 2020 when murder charges were dismissed without prejudice against Buford James Penley after he was determined to be incompetent by multiple psychologists, including one who worked for the DA’s office.
Under North Carolina law, a defendant is deemed capable to proceed to trial if they can understand the nature and object of the proceedings, comprehend his or her situation in reference to the proceedings, and assist in his or her defense in a rational or reasonable manner.
Brown has been in federal custody in Chicago since a grand jury indicted him on Oct. 22 for violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system causing death. He faces state charges of first-degree murder.
He’s been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation pursuant to his federal case, but court filings viewed by the outlet last month show it hasn’t been completed and that the evaluation period has been extended.
The outlet reports that restoring competency can take a long time in North Carolina because of limited space in state psychiatric facilities, and said it’s not uncommon for defendants to wait a year or more for a bed to open up.
Brown, 35, whose mother told The Post is schizophrenic, was arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina for crimes ranging from assault and firearms possession to felony robbery dating back to 2007.
The best thing that Gavin Newsom can do to save his presidential chances is to divorce his wife. He sure ain’t going to be able to shut her up. And she’s way too arrogant to realize she is actually hurting her husband’s chance of winning a future political office. He should have known he was in trouble when she started going around and calling herself the “first partner” instead of the “first lady.”
Let’s listen to a couple of her greatest hits that have come out over the last couple of weeks.
My Lord, Mrs. Newsom is nuttier than a fruitcake!!
That’s right. She would censor and cancel anything that she didn’t like or was “mean.” She sounds like she is saying women would be tyrants.
What’s worse is she is incredibly woke. This is something her husband has been trying to get away from. She’s just dragging her ass right back into it.
Then this little gem got released.
Jennifer Newsom recounts telling some San Quentin prisoners how she, as a 6-year-old, ran over and killed her 8-year-old sister.
Jennifer says it was an accident, like how with those prisoners “theirs was probably an accident too.”
Donald Trump has had it with Iran’s lack of cooperation. Iran has six hours to figure it out.
California is an absolute mess. We, in California, knew it. Apparently CBS News just figured it out.
And NASA, with four brave astronauts, prove that America is awesome!
News
President Donald Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. ET to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes against its power plants and bridges on Tuesday.
The United Nations has warned that Trump’s threats to target Iran’s power plants and bridges could constitute war crimes if they are carried out.
Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., is mounting a long-shot bid to impeach President Donald Trump as he stares down a primary threat from younger challengers, who seek to thwart his bid for a 15th House term.
Larson, 77, introduced 13 articles of impeachment against Trump on Monday, citing the president’s military intervention in Venezuela, the deployment of National Guard troops to cities across the country and his executive order to curtail birthright citizenship, among other charges.
Larson also charged Trump with “murder, war crimes and piracy” for ordering a naval blockade around Venezuela targeting U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers ahead of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and for launching dozens of strikes against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean.
Researchers found that California’s minimum wage hike for fast-food workers led to “negative outcomes” such as automation and reduced work hours.
The researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz suggested in a report published in March that the policy could produce unintended consequences such as an increase in menu prices, a loss of overtime and benefits, reductions in employee working hours, and an implementation of automation that replaces workers.
Artemis II’s four astronauts zoomed past Apollo 13’s 248,655-mile mark around 1:56 p.m. ET, reaching 248,656 miles as their aircraft hurtled past the moon at nearly 2,000 mph.
Then hours later, shortly after 7 p.m.., the crew set a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth, at a staggering 252,756 miles. The astronauts then beginning their long journey back to Earth .
The distance record was set just minutes after the capsule made its closest approach to the moon around 4,067 miles in altitude.
It also came in the thick of Artemis II’s communications blackout, which was expected to last about 40 minutes while the moon blocked any signals between Orion and the Earth.
Communications resumed around 7:25 p.m.
🚨 HISTORY! Artemis II with its four astronauts on board, have now traveled further from earth then any other humans in history. pic.twitter.com/qi2GbRNLU9
PRESIDENT TRUMP asks Artemis II crew to share the "most unforgettable" part of their historic day.
COMMANDER REID WISEMAN: "We saw sights that no human has ever seen before, not even in Apollo, and that was amazing for us." pic.twitter.com/yUmdPQ8YWz
Californians pay $2 more for gas than the rest of the country. The question is now becoming why (yes, it’s been a slow news weekend).
California said it was starting a commission to
NBC News investigation finds the price of gas in California is not because of the war with Iran, it’s because of Gavin Newsom and California Democrats
“We are paying on average $2 a gallon more than the national average for drivers across the nation and an expert on the oil and… pic.twitter.com/qmNvY9j4P4
Using a 6.00 dollar pump price, here’s what each component would roughly be per gallon based on the CBS breakdown.
Dollar breakdown at 6.00 dollars/gal
Component
Percent of price
Approx. cents/gal
Approx. dollars/gal
Component
Percent of price
Approx. cents/gal
Approx. dollars/gal
Crude oil
40%
240¢
2.40
Refining (incl. CA blend premium)
13%
78¢
0.78
Distribution
15%
90¢
0.90
Federal gas tax
5%
30¢
0.30
State excise + storage fee
15%
90¢
0.90
State climate programs (Cap & Trade, LCFS)
10%
60¢
0.60
Sales taxes (state + local)
2%
12¢
0.12
Total
100%
600¢
6.00
Those percentage buckets are approximations the article uses to summarize the detailed line items (61¢ excise tax, 23¢ Cap‑and‑Trade, 14¢ LCFS, etc.), so at different pump prices the cent amounts would change but the shares stay roughly similar.
Do you want a version of this table recalculated for a different typical California price (for example, 5.50 or 6.50 dollars per gallon)?
Believe it or not, California is still thinking of building this high speed rail system. They’ve already blown $34 billion for:
Roughly 0 miles of the California high‑speed rail system are actually in service; what exists today is partially built civil works on the initial Central Valley segment, not an operating line.
What’s physically built so far
Construction is active along a 119‑mile Central Valley “spine” from around Madera through Fresno and Kings/Tulare toward Kern County, but this is mainly earthwork, bridges, viaducts, and graded guideway, not finished track.
As of early 2026, about 70–80 miles of guideway (the prepared railbed/structure) are complete, and roughly 55–60 major structures (bridges, overpasses, viaducts) are finished, with a few dozen more under construction.
No true high‑speed rail track is in service yet; the Authority is only now moving into contracts to lay track and install systems on that 119‑mile spine, with track installation expected to begin in 2026.
BREAKING: California doesn't have enough money to finish building a high speed rail system to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles and now they want $125 BILLION MORE!
"The entire amount of money we need is not there…"
Worker advocates in Oakland are pressing for a $30 minimum wage, mirroring a similar goal from socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from across the country.
A worker’s organization, One Fair Wage, is hoping to put forward a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage in the area. The organization believes the wage increase will help workers with the expensive cost of living in the Bay Area, especially with the affordability crisis.
Essentially, the city wants to raise the minimum wage so they can take more money in taxes. Of course, as usual, this assumes everyone working now will be working when the minimum wage goes up, which they surely won’t. It’s basically a big redistribution program.
By the way, this is why they keep raising the minimum wage. It gets a lot of votes and is easy to do. It is economic suicide, but everyone loves it. Except people that do all the signing of paychecks.
“Every time there has been a downturn or a serious challenge to the economy, in the end, we raise wages as a stimulus,” Saru Jayaraman, the president of One Fair Wage, told Center Square.
“It’s basically a stimulus in the hands of working people, who spend a much bigger percentage of their income than higher-income people because they have to. It’s survival,” she added.
One Fair Wage says the proposed ballot initiative would gradually institute the $30 minimum wage within the city and Alameda County until reaching the proposed amount in 2030. Oakland’s current minimum wage is $17.34 an hour, and California’s minimum wage sits at $16.90 an hour.
A $30 minimum wage would be the highest in the country. New York City legislators introduced a bill last month to also introduce a $30 minimum wage.
Police “reforms” in Boston replaced cops with mental health clinicians and social workers, and on Saturday one of those clinicians was attacked by a delusional man wielding a sword. The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, attacked the clinician as well as police officers with the sword. Cops responded by shooting and killing the suspect.
The incident took place near the Northeastern University campus on Saturday morning in Boston. Officers were responding to a 911 call about four people armed with guns and the caller was in the apartment building. After officers arrived at 212 Hemenway Street and located the disturbance they called in a mental health professional with the Boston’s BEST program, according to Mass Daily News.
The program, in which mental health professionals ride along with cops to de-escalate tense situations, has been running since 2011. The EMS clinician deployed to the scene spoke to the man for 45 minutes through the door before the suspect pushed open the door and attacked.
“He immediately opened the door and struck the clinician and an officer who was outside the door. He was armed with some type of sword, stabbing the officer in the arm and knocking the EMS clinician to the ground,” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said. “One or more officers, which is under investigation at this time, fired a taser and weapon at the individual, bringing the person to a halt.”
The suspect as well as the officers and clinician that were attacked by the suspect were taken to the hospital. The suspect was later pronounced dead. “This was a very chaotic circumstance. The individual was clearly in some sort of mental distress,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.
Boston EMS said in a statement that their employee had gotten injured in the altercation.
“Our focus tonight remains on the two members of Boston EMS, including one of our BEST clinicians, who were treated and transported to the hospital after the incident on Hemenway Street in Boston. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries,” the statement read.
“Today serves as a reminder of the dangers inherent in this work and the sacrifice our members make every day. Members of Boston EMS show up to save lives — not to be assaulted. No one should face violence for simply doing their job. Our thoughts are with our injured members, the Boston Police officers, and everyone affected by today’s incident.”
The concept is simple: Store your silenced cell phone in a “chicken coop” while you enjoy your Chick-fil-A meal in-store and get a free “Icedream” cone as your reward for staying present with your chicken sandwich and your fellow guests. Open to groups and solo acts, the initiative got its start at a Chick-fil-A in the Atlanta area back in 2016. It hasn’t gotten the nationwide rollout treatment, but it pops up around the country every so often at the whim of individual franchisees. This month, the hype went global after Complex posted Chick-fil-A phone challenge signage on X.
Commenters quickly responded with enthusiasm for the stroke of marketing genius behind quality family time and an immersive tech cleansing. But others called out the “sad” state of affairs with someone adding, “Society has hit a low point holy sh*t.” One hater posted, “I’m trying to enjoy my chicken, not talk to my d*mn family.” Another person bet that this particular Maryland-based Chick-fil-A would be giving out zero ice cream cones since no one can stay off their phones these days.
Well, random X user, I brought receipts proving that at least five people have successfully completed the task and cashed in on those cones: my two parents and the three teenagers they paid to participate in the same challenge at another table. Having known my mom and dad my whole life, this all checks out.
My parents FaceTimed me the minute they returned from their mission, sharing boots-on-the-ground perspective on the promo everyone else in America wishes their local Chick-fil-A was running. They were already fans of Chick-fil-A, as well as the Towson Place location’s spacious dining area and flawless customer service. “I love ‘It’s my pleasure,’” my mom said.
I confessed to stopping by Chick-fil-A when I lived in Los Angeles purely because, unlike people in the rest of the city, the chain’s friendly employees seemed to enjoy serving customers. But back to the challenge at hand.
“We were expecting a chicken coop,” my mom said. There are many representations of the “coop” from the Chick-fil-A phone challenge on social media (one claims to be made of wood), but the Towson Place version involves a plain white cardboard box meant to secure your phone. (Apparently, it could have used some fun chicken-related decoration, according to “reviews.”)
Still, my parents persisted, roping in a trio of local teens into the mix, who my mom says “were like … ‘o-kay?’” about the idea. The boys had completed the challenge before and were happy to walk these nice elderly people through the process, accepting $2 each in cash. My parents value the quality time of other people’s grandchildren. And still carry cash.
They placed their order at the counter, sat down at the table with their drinks, and stowed their phones in the “coop” once their food arrived.
“Wait. So do you normally use your phone during dinner?” I asked, having no idea what my parents do in their free time.
“No, but I usually have it at the ready,” my mom said, like most of us. (How else are we gonna pick it up 186 times a day?) But when she admitted, “I checked my purse for my phone 10 times while my phone was still in the ‘coop,’” my eyeballs ejected from my face. Full disclosure, I did ask her to document as much pre- and post-coop action as possible. But I was shocked. The challenge, which is so obviously aimed at kids, even had my mom feeling the benefits from sealing her phone in a cardboard box.
“I’ve watched many families come in with young kids, and they do it,” said Natalie Martz, owner of the Towson Place Chick-fil-A. “I’ve seen adults come in with adult children and do it.”
Maybe the Chick-fil-A challenge is just a wholesome excuse to encourage customers to “eat mor chikin” and make it an occasion by purchasing meals for the whole family. But breaking bread sans phones might lead to small, surprising joys beyond chicken nuggets — no matter your age.
“I haven’t had a cone in years,” my mom recalled. “It was nostalgic. It brought back good memories for me.” Chick-fil-A happens to be celebrating its 80th anniversary this year with a “Newstalgia” marketing blitz that features retro packaging on drinks and sandwiches along with all-new plushie cows.
“The cone was really good,” my dad reported. That comment on the actual cone part of the old-school vanilla soft-serve dessert is notably high praise from a non-foodie. It warmed my heart hearing that they had fun with the assignment.
As one fan summed it up on Instagram, “A free ice cream for being present with your people? That’s a deal worth taking.” Try the challenge for yourself at a participating Chick-fil-A or politely ask your local shop to get in on the action. I’m sure it would be their pleasure.
The American military continues to prove that we have the best military in human history.
The Artemis II is preparing to make its historic flyby of the moon.
And SNL makes another joke that should be condemned by everyone, but, instead, got nothing but applause.
News
After 12,000 sorties over Iran, a couple of planes were shot down over Iran.
An F-15 Eagles was struck by a missile on Friday. Two pilots ejected over Iran.
An A10 Warthog was also shot, but was able to fly to safety.
The F-15 pilots enabled a beacon when they ejected. The pilots were separated. One of the pilots was found right away at the foot of the mountain where the second pilot was found.
The second pilot climbed 7000 feet of that mountain, and hid in a crevice.
Iran put out a bounty on the pilots, knowing that they would be key to negotiations.
The Department of War created a perimeter of several kilometers around where the suspected the pilots to be. The killed any Iranians who broke that perimeter.
The CIA and Israel released disinformation to confuse the Iranians.
The weapons pilot’s location was confirmed by a voice communication of him saying “God is good.” The pilot was very religious.
The pilot was rescued and brought to a secret airstrip being used by the U.S. military. This base had a pair of C-130s.
The pilot was loaded onto another transport vehicle and brought out of the country.
The weapons officer was a highly decorated colonel with survival training. He suffered from a serious concussion.
This was a seriously awesome rescue mission and shows how weak the Iranians are.
Trump has had enough with the Iranian leaders and we should expect major operations this week. We have started going after infrastructure.
The United States blew up a B-1 bridge. This bridge was being used to transport military personnel and weapons.
Trump issued this threat on Sunday: Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F*ckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.
By the way, non of this are war crimes. Nope, it’s not.
Dear Maga cheerleaders 👋
International war crime laws protect OUR service members, & US too.
Trump & Hegseth have now made it open game for hostage taking, torture, & another 9/11.pic.twitter.com/DFsrZ6jwwz
Chuck Schumer tries to pull a rabbit out of his hat with his DHS shutdown and Donald Trump has the last laugh.
Trump learns something from what is happening in Cuba and decides to try it in Iran,
And one of the icons of martial arts passes away.
News
Iran is showing that they are more than an imminent threat.
Iran launched a medium range ICBM to the Diego Garcia Joint Military Base.
The base is British Indian Ocean Territory, about 3000 kilometers away.
A medium range ICBM missile has a range of 3000 to 6000 km.
Absences among transportation security workers this weekend reached their highest since a partial government shutdown began five weeks ago, the Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday, as immigration enforcement agents prepared to fill in for them at some of the busiest U.S. airports.
Nationwide, about 11.5% of Transportation Security Administration staff were absent on Saturday, DHS said, but that figure soared to 42.4% at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, 33.4% at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and 33.6% at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Overall, more than 9% of TSA employees have been absent from work over the past seven days, leading to lengthy lines for passengers trying to get to their gates, according to DHS.
President Donald Trump on Saturday issued a stark 48-hour ultimatum to Iran, warning that the United States will begin targeting the country’s energy infrastructure if it does not reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz.
“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Trump wrote on Truth Social at 7:44 p.m. EST.
Iran said on Sunday it would strike the energy and water systems of its Gulf neighbours in retaliation if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through with a threat to hit Iran’s electricity grid in 48 hours, escalating the three-week-old war.
Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to only pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers as the Homeland Security shutdown drags on.
Despite being in the minority and not controlling the Senate floor, Schumer used an arcane tactic to force a procedural vote to allow the Senate to get onto the bill in Democrats’ move to shift the narrative of the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.
President Donald Trump took no time taking shots at Robert Mueller, who died at the age of 81, his family announced on Saturday.
“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected,” the family said in a statement. Mueller had reportedly been suffering from Parkinson’s disease, though an official cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
In a blunt post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Norris, who died Thursday, was the rare Christian conservative in Hollywood. He advocated for Republican politicians, supported gun rights, pushed for the Bible to be brought back into schools, and published a regular column at conservative website WorldNetDaily.
A devout Baptist, Norris spoke frequently about his faith, crediting both famed evangelist Billy Graham and his mother for shaping his beliefs. In his 2004 book, “Against All Odds: My Story,” Norris discussed his mom’s influence on his faith.
Chuck Norris: “ Je me suis penché et je l’ai caressé, et tout à coup, on a entendu un rugissement, comme ça. Alors le dresseur a dit : « Lève-toi très lentement et recule. » Et le tigre l’a fait. Il s’est levé lentement et a reculé.” pic.twitter.com/KrlwCpLBPw
California loses another billionaire. This is going to be a big problem for regular Californians soon.
Trump does what he should have done a long time ago.
And Joy Reid thinks Iranian women have it better than American women.
News
Here is some news:
Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick says he has traded California for Texas, joining a growing list of billionaires abandoning the state as lefty lawmakers push for a one-off tax on their wealth.
Protesters took to the streets in a violent night of unrest in Cuba as demonstrators chanted “Down with Communism” and attacked Communist party offices — in a rare showing of public defiance against the dictatorial government.
Residents flooded Morón in the Ciego de Ávila region overnight into Saturday — days after protestors chanted similar slogans in Havana — for what started as a peaceful rally pushing back against unpopular Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Cane and continued power outages and food shortages.
The embattled Diaz-Cane had announced Friday that he’d begun talks with the Trump administration to try and deescalate the crippling economic crisis in Cuba after the US cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to the island, The Post reported.
Venezuelan oil is not being sent to Cuba and the economy is crashing.
The Trump administration invoked the Defense Production Act to order an oil company to restart shuttered offshore operations in California, saying the move is necessary to address oil supply disruption risks and reduce reliance on foreign crude.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday directed Sable Offshore Corp., an oil and gas company headquartered in Houston, to restore operations at the Santa Ynez Unit and the Santa Ynez Pipeline System off the coast of Santa Barbara, according to a statement from the Department of Energy (DOE).
California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the order Friday, calling the Trump administration’s use of the Defense Production Act “reckless and illegal” and pledging to fight the directive.
The governor also pointed to the pipeline’s history, noting that a 2015 spill near Refugio State Beach released more than 140,000 gallons of crude oil and caused widespread environmental and economic damage along the Santa Barbara coast.
In the Iranian war, The United States has hit the military installations on Kharg island.
Gregory Lee Vogelsang, 57, was convicted of kidnapping and molesting multiple children between the ages of 5 and 11 in the ’90s in the Sacramento area. He was sentenced to 355 years to life in prison.
But in the November hearing, a three-person board granted the pedophile parole, despite his heinous crimes.
In a transcript of the hearing, released by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Vogelsang spoke about his obsession with young boys.
“I got to know what the internal triggers and external triggers and what the risky situations and the warning signs are for pedophilia,” Vogelsang said, according to the transcript reported by Capital Public Radio.
“And, like I said before, when I don’t view a child as a sex object, I don’t want to become aroused, but I know it’s always going to be there.”
He also blamed the abuse he faced as a child for his obsession.
“I think when I was a child, I had normalized child molestation due to my father abusing me from 7 to 11,” Vogelsang said.
“It wasn’t until I had dealt with my own childhood abuse of the pain, the harm, the guilt and the shame that I felt as a child, that today I can sit there and say that I honestly understand the psychological and the emotional damage that I was doing.”
A law signed by Newsom in 2020 cleared the way for Vogelsang’s release, because it allows inmates 50 and older who have served 20 or more years to receive parole consideration.
An armed man with tactical gear and a firearm was able to walk into Zwink Elementary School in Klein, Texas on Tuesday this week. Kyle Najm Chris, also known as Muhi Mohanad Najm, 39, of Klein, has been charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, a charge associated with bringing a weapon on school grounds.
Najm was then taken into custody on Wednesday at 6:30 pm, according to KHOU11. According to the criminal complaint against the suspect, he was seen entering the front office of the front office of the school where he was dressed in full military tactical gear and has a gun holstered.
When he was asked how he was able to get past security, Najm said that the front door was not latched. When employees asked him to identify himself, he did not do so, left the school, and then drove away in a dark blue Dodge Charger.
“From the moment the individual left the front office, we were actively working with multiple law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend this individual,” the school wrote in a message to parents explaining why they were not immediately notified. “Sending a public notification during that window could have jeopardized those efforts, tipped off the suspect, and delayed the arrest.”
The suspect was later identified with security footage and a facial recognition system as well as a license plate database. Najm has no affiliation with the school. No students or staff were harmed during the incident. Authorities said that the man has a private investigator license and has a Texas Concealed Handgun License.
The war on Iran seems to be heating up. I will explain to you why that may be a good thing.
And there is a reason why the Left is so against this war. They just hate the United States.
Updates on Iran
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a container ship was struck by an “unknown projectile” 35 nautical miles northwest of Dubai and Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. The incident happened after a projectile hit a Thai-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, setting it on fire. President Donald Trump has warned of consequences if Iran acts to stop the transport of oil in the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reported being targeted by attacks on Thursday involving missiles and drones. Bahrain said the “Iranian aggression targeted fuel tanks,” while Saudi Arabia said it shot down two drones.
Trump said Wednesday that reports of a potential Iranian revenge plot involving drones launched from offshore targeting California are being investigated. Trump also said he had been briefed about potential Iranian sleeper cells inside the United States, adding that authorities are monitoring the situation closely.
Iran also has been firing cluster munitions into populated areas. Where is the U.N.? Isn’t this against “International Law”?
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei released a new message Thursday saying that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the war is over. This was made by a Iranian newscaster, not the Ayatollah. No one has seen the guy.
Six Iranian women from the Iranian soccer team have defected in Australia.
Donald Trump has invited the Iranian soccer team to the FIFA World Cup.
In a controversy, Pete Hegseth has been accused of blowing $94.3 billion on luxury items within the Department of War.
Oil prices jumped Thursday morning to over $100 per barrel as Iran continued striking ships throughout the region.
The global benchmark Brent crude climbed above $100 early Thursday morning for the first time since Monday before slipping slightly to $97.81. The spike came as Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf disrupted the flow of oil in the region.
At least two oil tankers were struck off the coast of Iraq on Wednesday by projectiles, according to the shipping monitoring group United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Crews on both tankers were evacuated as fires broke out.
Iran reportedly took credit for attacking one of the tankers, claiming the ship “disobeyed and ignored” commands. Iran is suspected of attacking the other tanker, according to Iraqi officials.
The FBI issued an urgent warning to cops across California of a potential Iranian drone strike on the Golden State.
Tehran was looking at deploying unmanned aircraft on the region as the country reels after the US wiped out its supreme leader last month, the alert said.
The bureau said in early February agents had intelligence that drones could be sent from an unidentified vessel off the American coast.
California has the highest concentration of Iranian dissidents in the US — up to 500,000 — but it is not clear if that was why the state could be targeted.
The FBI alert said: “We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”
It added: “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”
The alert was sent to police departments across the region, but it does not make clear where specifically could be targeted. The FBI declined to comment when approached by The Post.
The huge Boeing E-6B Mercury, which is the president’s emergency operations hub if nuclear war breaks out, coasted over Fresno over the weekend.
Airport bosses said it was conducting approaches at the site and spent two hours doing mock landings, leaving onlookers stunned.
The aircraft serves as a nuclear control platform and strategic command post. If the plane had to execute its mission, the US could be heading for a nuclear war.
The platform can control bombers, missiles and ballistic missile submarines. It can remain airborne for up to 12 hours without refueling and is capable of refueling mid-flight to extend missions even longer.
It is built to maintain global communications and operate even if ground command centers are disabled, essentially functioning as a mobile Pentagon in the sky.
“They can control the bombers, if the bombers are on alert, they can control the missiles, because the missiles are always on alert, and obviously they can control our ballistic missile submarines,” Major General Garrison told Fox 26. “It’s all combined into one.”
The plane caused panic at the beginning of the year when it was spotted at Los Angeles International Airport. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been using the plane for his his “arsenal of freedom” tour.
Let’s talk about oil and why the costs are so high. Then let’s look at how California is dealing with the oil crisis.
Finally, I’ll tell you why the oil crisis is not much of a crisis.
Before I Rant
Here is some news:
The new Supreme Leader of Iran missed his own coronation. Apparently, he’s in a coma and is missing a leg thanks to an Israeli missile.
The citizens of Cuba are protesting again , asking for a new government. President Trump is not counting out the thought of helping the Cuban people take over the government. Remember, Marco Rubio is Cuban.
Fifty-three percent of voters questioned in the poll, which was conducted Friday through Sunday, said they oppose the U.S. military action against Iran, which was ordered by President Donald Trump, with 40% supporting the operation.
Yamaha has decided to ditch California and head to Georgia.
Gas prices are going through the roof because of the war. The reason is simple: The Middle East countering are having trouble delivering their of because of the war in Iran. Not because the don’t have oil. In fact, countries like Kuwait have so much oil they’re stopped producing because the do not have anymore storage capacity. This is a very important point and I will get back to that later.
The problem is that gas has jumped $0.30 over the last few days and is expected to continue to go up until the war is over and deliveries can resume.
Democrats, including my brother-in-law, are jumping all over this, whining about how Trump doesn’t care about the working man. I don’t want to hear a damn thing from Democrats about the price of gas. They have gone four years raising the price of gas under the Biden administration and all they did was talk about how great Biden’s policies were and how great the economy.
Let’s go over what the Biden administration inherited from the first Trump administration and what they did.
When Biden took office:
Gas was averaging $2.17 a gallon.
The United States was energy independent.
The oil reserves were at 95% to capacity.
The XL pipeline was being constructed.
Regulations were being wiped off the map.
We left that stupid climate agreement that smothered the oil industry with regulation.
Oil was $10-20 a barrel. At one point, the cost of oil was at a negative. People were paying us to take their oil.
When Biden left office:
Gas prices were $3.30 and maxed out at over $5 a gallon.
Construction of the XL pipeline was cancelled.
They rejoined the Climate Agreement, pouring regulations onto the oil industry.
Biden regulated the transportation of oil across state lines.
Biden cancelled drilling leases on federal lands.
Biden overregulated refineries, forcing the closure of several refineries.
He insulted the OPEC nations. They refused to produce oil.
Californians have torn into Gavin Newsom for plotting new legislation that will likely spike gas prices even further, claiming he is “taxing us to death.”
The backlash centers on draft regulations tied to the state’s Cap-and-Invest program, overseen by the California Air Resources Board, which sets a statewide cap on greenhouse gas emissions and requires major polluters to purchase allowances for each ton of carbon they emit.
According to the California Energy Commission, the Cap-and-Invest program currently adds about 24 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline in the Golden State.
Gas prices averaged around $4.80 per gallon in early March, compared with roughly $3.25 nationwide, according to AAA data.
The system works by limiting emissions from large polluters — covering roughly 80% of the state’s greenhouse gases — and forcing companies to buy allowances for each ton emitted. Each year, fewer allowances are issued, gradually tightening the cap.
Revenue from the program flows into California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which finances climate initiatives such as transit projects and environmental programs.
But critics argue the tightening rules could ripple through the fuel market and land directly on consumers.
Oil companies and energy groups have warned that stricter regulations could threaten the viability of California’s remaining refineries. In a letter to regulators, energy giant Chevron warned that the proposed amendments could “cripple the survivability” of the state’s refining industry, potentially leading to more shutdowns, job losses and higher fuel costs.
The company noted that the oil and gas sector supports more than 530,000 jobs statewide and contributes about $64 billion annually in tax revenue.
Meanwhile, environmental groups are urging regulators to go even further.
In a letter submitted to CARB, advocacy organization Biofuelwatch called on the board to close what it described as a “biogenic CO2 exemption loophole” that allows biofuel producers and distributors to avoid buying carbon allowances for certain emissions.
The group argues that these exemptions reduce demand for carbon credits and suppress carbon prices, costing the state potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
Using 2024 emissions data, the organization estimated that more than 23 million tons of emissions linked to biogenic fuels were exempted from the program — representing as much as $593 million to $712 million in potential revenue, depending on allowance prices.
But while policy experts debate the mechanics of the program, many California residents say they’re simply tired of paying more at the pump.
Some also blamed the state’s energy policies for weakening the local industry and increasing reliance on imports.
Other residents also argued the state is moving too aggressively toward electrification without the infrastructure or affordability to support it.
California Republicans are saying Donald Trump could take control of the state’s spiraling oil crisis amid concerns it impacts national security.
Some suggest the president may intervene over fears that if it gets worse it will impact the Golden State’s huge military build up due to its reliance on fuel.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has tried to blame it on the conflict in Iran, but experts have also pointed to crippling taxes in the state that has driven up the cost for years.
State Senator Suzette Valladares told the California Post on Sunday: “California is in a death spiral when it comes to our gas and oil prices. If the President sees our gas crisis as a national crisis he could step in.”
That national crisis she predicts could be the conflict in Iran and keeping America safe.
She continued: “California produces jet fuel for commercial and military use, they could use some sort of war order to at least keep up California production because of what’s happening in the Middle East.”
California refineries supply gasoline and jet fuel to military installations throughout the state, most of which is currently produced by in-state refineries, according to State Senator Tony Strickland.
That includes 11 Air Force bases, along with dozens of Navy, Marine Corps, and Army facilities. They use about 370 million gallons of fuel annually.
Trump could use the Defense Production Act of 1950 to override California laws and regulations that are blocking offshore oil operations in the state.
The war with Iran continues to move along. Let’s go over some news.
And we are now seeing the splash damage in the United States when it comes to this war. We can expect more issues in the future.
What’s Happening in Iran?
Here are some updates in the Iran war:
Iran named Ayotollah Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the country’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s next ruler.
President Donald Trump told Fox News’ “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade” on Sunday night that he is “not happy” with Iran’s selection of Ayotollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader.
The war with Iran has sent global oil prices skyrocketing past $100 a barrel as the regime’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has all but stopped tankers from using the shipping lane.
President Donald Trump on Monday told the New York Post that he’s “nowhere near” ordering boots on the ground in Iran to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex.
“We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it,” Trump told the outlet over the phone.
U.S. Central Command on Monday morning issued a “fact check” on a Russian and Iranian media claim that a U.S. patriot missile struck a Bahrain neighborhood by accident.
Russian and Iranian media claimed that a U.S. patriot missile missed intercepting an Iranian missile or drone and inadvertently hit the neighborhood, according to the command.
“What really happened: An Iranian drone struck a residential neighborhood, injuring 32 civilians in Bahrain, including children who required medical treatment, according to Bahrain’s government,” the command said, adding “TRUTH.”
A seventh U.S. soldier who died from injuries sustained while he was supporting Operation Epic Fury in Saudi Arabia last week has been identified, the Department of War announced.
Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Ky., died of his wounds on Sunday after he was injured during “an enemy attack” on March 1 at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, the department said.
Here We Go Again
According to the New York Post:
A pair of ISIS-trained extremists were charged with hurling an IED at Gracie Mansion duringa rowdy weekend protest — allegedly packing the homemade bomb with “Mother of Satan,” a volatile explosive favored by international terrorists.
The two pro-Muslim fanatics – Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18 – both self-radicalized in recent years and traveled to Turkey and other terror-training hot spots, law enforcement sources close to the case told The Post.
Balat spent more than three months in Istanbul last year, while Ibrahim flew to Istanbul and Saudi Arabia in 2024, and made a trip to Melbourne, Australia in 2019, the sources said.
The pair admitted to cops after getting busted at the violent demonstration outside the mayor’s residence on Saturday afternoon that they also watched ISIS videos and tossed the bomb at right-wing agitators because they felt the agitators insulted their religion, the sources said.
The homemade device consisted of sports drink bottles filled with triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, a substance favored by terrorists and known as “Mother of Satan” — which is so volatile that it typically doesn’t require a fuse to go off, they said.The dangerous substance can be cobbled together using household ingredients readily available at home improvement stores and pharmacies, making it cheap to produce.
The same type of bomb was used in high-profile terror attacks in France, the UK, Belgium and New Delhi over more than a decade — often with fatal consequences.
Fortunately, it failed to go off during the Saturday afternoon clash between demonstrators backing right-wing activist Jake Lang and pro-Muslim counter-protesters.
The incident unfolded during a planned anti-Muslim protest organized by right-wing agitator Jake Lang outside Gracie Mansion — which sparked a rowdy confrontation with counter protesters that quickly turned violent.
Video footage shows several scuffles that led to six arrests — including the two accused wannabe bombers.
How did Zorhan Mamdani respond? Here was his statement after it was discovered that this was a terrorist attack:
“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism,” Mamdani complained. “Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.”
“What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are,” he continued. “I want to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe. Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day. My administration is closely monitoring the situation and I remain in close contact with our Police Commissioner.”
Listen:
Zohran Mamdani: "This was a vile protest rooted in white supremacy … While I found this protest appalling, I will not waver in my belief that it should be allowed to happen." pic.twitter.com/DNEh5ubire
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) March 9, 2026
NBC News is doing the same thing. They released a tweet for an article about the terrorist attack:
BREAKING: A device ignited outside Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral residence yesterday during an anti-Islam protest and counterprotest was confirmed to be an improvised explosive, New York City police say.
The note pointed out that the terrorists were not one of the 20 white supremacists but ISIS inspired terrorists.
A Pakistani national accused of plotting to assassinate US political leaders testified Wednesday that Iranian intelligence agents pressured him to take part in the scheme, claiming they directed him to target President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.
Asif Merchant, 47, told a jury in Brooklyn federal court that he felt compelled to cooperate with the plan because his relatives were being threatened.
“I had no other options. My family was threatened,” Merchant claimed to jurors in a Brooklyn federal court, per the New York Post. He’s been charged with paying two undercover FBI agents posing as hitmen just $5,000 to carry out the assassination plot.
Merchant, originally from Pakistan, testified that an Iranian handler instructed him in April 2024 to travel to the United States and arrange for “maybe to have somebody murdered.” According to his testimony, the handler offered three possible targets.
“He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he named three people to me: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,” the accused terrorist explained. At the time, Trump and Biden were the frontrunners in the 2024 presidential race. Haley had ended her campaign roughly a month before.
Merchant has pleaded not guilty to terrorism and murder-for-hire charges following his August 2024 arrest. He testified that he had initially offered to help Iranian operatives in late 2022 or early 2023 by assisting with money transfers designed to dodge US sanctions.
He claimed his Iranian contact, identified as Mehrdad Yousef, ordered him to both organize the assassination attempt and obtain unspecified documents. Merchant alleged the man belonged to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
FBI agents and airport police worked together to investigate after an unspecified threat caused officials to evacuate sections of Kansas City International Airport in Missouri on Sunday morning.
According to multiple reports, hundreds of passengers were evacuated onto the tarmac as investigators closed one terminal, out of “an abundance of caution,” and diverted several flights, leaving others — who landed after the threat was received — stranded on the taxiway until they were given the all-clear.
The threat, according to reports, came in at 11:50 a.m. local time and prompted an immediate and complete evacuation of the terminal. Flights did not resume until after 2 p.m. In the interim, airport police and FBI agents conducted sweeps of the terminal.
