Category: blaze media

“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” Donald Trump told the New York Post this week. Referring to Iran, he added that while he probably doesn’t need them, he would deploy ground troops “if necessary.”

With those words, the administration cracked open a door most American strategists hoped was bolted shut by half a century of hard lessons.

Modern American military history is a graveyard of campaigns that began with overwhelming tactical success and ended in strategic failure.

Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign, has already delivered what hawks in Washington have wanted for decades: the decapitation of Iran’s top leadership. The strikes that killed Ali Khamenei were meant to trigger a rapid collapse of the Islamic Republic. Early evidence points to something messier — and more dangerous.

The fundamental flaw in the administration’s logic is simple: Removing a leader does not remove a regime.

Khamenei is dead, but the Iranian state remains. A temporary leadership council has already formed. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps still holds the monopoly on force. Worse, strikes that reportedly killed hundreds of civilians — including more than 100 children in Minab — handed the regime a fresh narrative. Instead of a unified, pro-Western uprising, many Iranians are responding with nationalist anger and a predictable desire for revenge.

That reality should end any talk of “finishing the job” with a ground invasion.

Modern American military history is a graveyard of campaigns that began with overwhelming tactical success and ended in strategic failure. Vietnam. Afghanistan. Iraq. In each, the “mission accomplished” moment became the prologue to years of insurgency, political collapse, and sunk costs.

In Vietnam, the U.S. won battles and lost the country because it could not produce a legitimate political alternative.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, trillion-dollar investments in nation-building crumbled once American security guarantees lifted.

If the United States shifts from air strikes to a ground presence in Iran, it will collide with problems it cannot solve.

Start with geography and scale. Iran is a country of nearly 90 million people, with mountainous terrain that functions as a natural fortress. A serious occupation would require a troop commitment the American public will not support — and it would likely exceed anything seen in Iraq.

RELATED: Hegseth just delivered a precision strike on the legacy media

Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Then comes the legal and constitutional crisis at home. Trump has prosecuted this war without a formal declaration — and without meaningful consultation with Congress. That bypasses the democratic safeguard meant to force elected representatives to weigh blood and treasure.

Escalating to a ground war on such a foundation invites a domestic political firestorm, fracturing the country at the very moment unity matters most. Disregard for constitutional norms does not merely weaken the rule of law; it undermines the legitimacy of the mission.

Next, look at the internal politics of Iran. The administration appears to hope Iran’s grievances can be leveraged against the regime. History suggests the opposite. Foreign boots on the ground almost always unify a population against the invader. An invasion would turn a struggle for internal reform into a war of national liberation and hand hardliners their best recruiting tool.

The anger in Tehran is not necessarily pro-regime. It is a primal response to foreign violation.

Finally, consider the regional fallout. The “Axis of Resistance” has already begun responding — drone activity, base attacks, threats to shipping and energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Six U.S. service members have already died in retaliatory strikes. A ground invasion would expand the conflict into a full regional war, drawing in proxies and potentially major powers into a fight Washington cannot afford and cannot control.

A ground invasion would not be brief, as Pete Hegseth has suggested. It would become a generational entanglement.

Washington can destroy targets. It cannot manufacture a stable, pro-Western political order at the point of a bayonet. Ignore the failures of the past and you guarantee a disaster in the future.

​Iran, Operation epic fury, Boots on the ground, Iraq war, Trump, Ayatollah ali khamenei, Israel, Ground invasion, Opinion & analysis 

When LeBron James opened up about cherishing time with his children during the NBA season, the conversation took an unexpected turn. After quickly correcting an interviewer that his daughter plays volleyball, not basketball, James joked that his wife is “done with this basketball s**t.”

And BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock is curious as to why that is.

“I miss a lot of moments, you know, spending time with my kids because of my career, and, you know, any time I get over the course of my career, any time I got moments with them either individually, two of them, three of them all together, whatever the case may be, is always special for me,” James said.

“So, to have my daughter want to come on the road and be with me and spend a lot of time — yesterday we went to Alcatraz,” he continued.

When an interviewer interjected and commented on her playing basketball, James quickly responded, “She’s a volleyball player. Don’t get my wife mad. My wife is done with this basketball s**t.”

“I think LeBron very cleverly is protecting his wife and protecting them from the truth, is LeBron James and Savannah James want no part of sending their daughter into that LGBTQIA+ silent P women’s basketball world,” Whitlock speculates.

“They’re not raising a lesbian, and they want her in volleyball,” he adds.

Dre Baldwin believes it could be a different reason, explaining that it seems to him like “he just doesn’t want to even put that spotlight on his daughter the way it was on his sons.”

“And maybe his daughter might be better at volleyball than she is at basketball. And another kid who he doesn’t want feeling the pressure of having to quote, unquote ‘make it’ in a highly competitive space like basketball,” Baldwin continues.

“But, now that you bring that up, I hadn’t thought of that. That is an interesting angle, and I wouldn’t be mad at LeBron and Savannah if that is indeed their reason,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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The Texas family of a 16-year-old girl who went missing from their hotel in Tennessee suspect the man she ended up with contacted her through online sites and apps.

North Carolina police said in a press release that the family had been visiting a relative in Tennessee when they reported the girl missing to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday.

‘Just because you are watching the social media — you need to watch all the social media.’

On Monday, the Rockingham Sheriff’s Office said it was contacted about the girl’s location hundreds of miles away, and deputies found her with a 27-year-old man named Dakota Wayne Vettor.

Police said the teen was placed into the custody of the Rockingham County Department of Social Services until she could be returned to her parents.

Vettor was interviewed and charged with felony abduction of children.

The parents told WGHP-TV that they were able to determine the girl’s location through her online apps. They said they believe the girl met the man through online gaming apps and social media sites.

“I just wish I could have done more,” said a tearful Jason Poston, the father of the victim.

“Once the relief sets in, it’s definitely a, ‘I should have seen,’ … ‘maybe if I’d have done this or that.’ Unfortunately that’s one of those hindsight things,” said a visibly shaken Jess Poston, the mother.

They had a warning for parents who allow their children access to online apps and websites.

“Just because you are watching the social media — you need to watch all the social media,” the father said.

RELATED: ‘Sadistic’ PA man raped and cut 13-year-old girl at California motel after grooming her on Discord, feds say

The parents said they had a simple message to their child when they were reunited.

“We love you,” Jason Poston recalled saying to her.

“That’s all we could say,” Jess Poston added.

Vettor was ordered to be held on a $250,000 secured bond, and police said further charges are expected to be filed.

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Author and podcast host Larry Alex Taunton believes there’s a reason America is under religious siege, and it’s because most Americans don’t understand the theological and political foundations of Islam — which is why so many have now come out in support of Iran after President Trump’s strikes.

BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler is not among them.

“The Islamification of the United States of America is under way as we speak. And no, it doesn’t make me an Islamophobe or a xenophobe or a racist or a bigot to say so,” Wheeler says.

And Taunton couldn’t agree more.

“A major problem here, Liz, is that Americans really don’t, Westerners in general really don’t understand Islam,” Taunton says, explaining that he’s been investigating the no-go zones of Paris — and there are some already forming in America.

“Places like Minneapolis, Dearborn, they’re future no-go zones — already no-go zones. And they’re future Gazas, you know. They’re kind of places that become staging areas, you know, for terrorist attacks or the kind of places where terrorists flee to when they’re attacked,” he tells Wheeler.

“This is what happened in Paris after the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the Bataclan, where more than 100 were killed by Islamic terrorists,” he says.

And while there are politicians pushing to ban Sharia law, Taunton doesn’t believe that’s the answer.

“I can appreciate that, but you got to go after the root of the tree, and we have to ban Islam. And some would say, ‘Well, isn’t Islam protected?’ … My argument is no, it is not,” he explains.

Taunton points out that not only was their prophet Muhammad a murderer, but he was a pedophile.

“They’re supposed to read the Quran. They’re supposed to read the Hadith. They’re supposed to do the things that are commanded in it. And what we call radicals aren’t really radicals, Liz. They’re orthodox Muslims,” he tells Wheeler.

“And when you practice that religion according to those three things, which is what orthodox Islam is, it is by definition anti-constitutional. And that’s because it doesn’t believe in freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of petition, freedom of press. Doesn’t believe in any of those things,” he continues.

“So, that religion is by definition contrary to our own laws, not just the spirit of our laws, not just our culture, but it’s against our laws,” he adds.

Want more from Liz Wheeler?

To enjoy more of Liz’s based commentary, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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The Democratic primary race for Texas’ redrawn 18th district is headed for a runoff after the 78-year-old congressman failed to get over 50% of the vote.

Rep. Al Green will face Rep. Christian Menefee, who is only 37 years old, in the runoff election on May 26.

Green had accused Menefee of making a ‘deal with the devil’ to gain the support of the cryptocurrency industry.

Green was first elected in 2004 but chose to run in the 18th district after Republicans redrew his district to tilt more Republican.

With nearly all the votes counted, Menefee has only 46% of the vote, while Green garnered 44.2%.

The winner of the runoff will face Ronald Whitfield, who won with 55.1% of the Republican primary votes over the 44.9% garnered by Elizabeth Vences.

Menefee complained to his supporters Tuesday evening that Green had run a “negative campaign” against him.

“Congressman, you can talk all your trash about me,” Menefee said, addressing Green. “I’m going to keep being focused on integrity, on standing firm, on doing the right thing, and on serving my communities.”

Green had accused Menefee of making a “deal with the devil” to gain the support of the cryptocurrency industry and said it aligned Menefee with “Trump crypto cronies.”

He also responded to Menefee by saying that he was “talking truthful trash” when he accused Menefee of not showing up for work.

RELATED: Democrat releases statement on sexual assault allegations from 2008

Green recently made headlines when he interrupted the president’s State of the Union address and held up a banner reading, “Black people aren’t apes,” in reference to a controversial video posted to the president’s social media page. He was kicked out of the chamber.

The elderly Democrat also faced sexual harassment allegations, which he denied, and was censured by Congress when he interrupted a different Trump speech before a joint session of Congress.

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​Rep al green vs menefee, Texas runoff in 18th district, Al green fails to win nomination, Republican redistricting in texas, Politics 

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted Wednesday to subpoena U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Five Republicans voted with all of the Democrats on the committee to approve the subpoena motion made by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

‘If Epstein had as many cameras as has been reported, what has been released to the public is only a fraction of what exists. So who has them? Who is hiding them?’

Bondi has already been questioned by the House Judiciary Committee over the release, which was criticized for not being careful enough to protect alleged victims and others involved with Epstein.

“The attorney general has gone to speak, obviously, to other committees,” said Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, who is on the Oversight Committee. “I think it’s important that she is in front of our committee. She can directly answer questions about the release of the files, about transparency, about ensuring that victims and survivors are protected.”

Garcia said the public still has “significant” questions about the Justice Department’s process for releasing material.

“We want to know where all the audio and video footage is from all of the pinhole cameras at every Epstein property,” Mace said. “What about the ‘Lolita Express’? Where is the footage? If Epstein had as many cameras as has been reported, what has been released to the public is only a fraction of what exists. So who has them? Who is hiding them? The victims of this horrific global network deserve justice, and the American people deserve the truth. We will not stop until we get both.”

Bondi was criticized after she appeared on Fox News in Feb. 2025 and claimed that the files were on her desk and getting reviewed in order to be imminently released. That first tranche of documents was mostly composed of information already released and disappointed many.

Democrats have since accused the Justice Dept. of covering up some information in the files to protect Trump and others, while leaving some of the victims’ names unredacted.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has also agreed to an interview with the panel after his interactions with Epstein were revealed in the last massive release.

RELATED: Bill Clinton accuses GOP of setting up ‘kangaroo court’ over Epstein testimony — and demands public hearing

Bill and Hillary Clinton were interviewed by the panel about their involvement with Epstein.

“There’s nothing that I saw when I was around him that made me realize he was trafficking women,” the former president said to the committee.

The other Republicans who voted in favor of the motion were Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas, and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

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​Pam bondi subpoena, Bondi on epstein file release, Epstein files controversy, House oversight committee, Politics 

Lawmakers heavily pressed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) during a hearing on Wednesday regarding fraud taking place in his state.

The ‘Feeding Our Future’ scandal

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) questioned Walz about taxpayer payments to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, an organization that has been at the center of a massive COVID-era fraud scandal involving Somali operators. The Minnesota Department of Education suspended those payments in March 2021 but “voluntarily” resumed making them weeks later, according to a 2022 press release from the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

‘He’s here illegally, he can’t read, and he got a license under your provisions!’

“Why didn’t you tell the truth about why you restarted the payments?” Jordan asked.

“The agency believed that the court had required them to make those payments,” Walz responded.

Jordan countered that the claim was false, stating that the judge never ordered the resumption of payments. “So the court’s lying?!” Jordan asked.

“I can’t tell you, Congressman!” Walz said.

“Could it be you were trying to hide behind the court, Governor?” Jordan asked.

After the interaction, Walz struggled to come up with a response.

The press release from the Minnesota courts stated that the judge “never ordered the Department of Education to resume payments to FOF in April 2021, or at any other time.”

RELATED: ‘LOADED with fraud’: Mamdani announces $425 million child-care handout — open to illegal aliens

Non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses

Later on in the hearing, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) ripped into Walz on commercial driver’s licenses.

“According to the secretary of transportation, one-third of Minnesota’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally,” Perry said.

Perry then presented a clip of a person driving a semi-truck the wrong way on a divided Missouri highway in late February. The video shows that the truck was eventually stopped by a trooper.

Perry claimed that the suspect driving the vehicle was given a Minnesota license despite being unable to pass the driving test because of a law Walz signed that allows applicants to obtain a CDL regardless of immigration status.

RELATED: Founder of Minneapolis autism center admits to paying kickbacks to Somali families in $6 million scam

Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Walz talked about the safety of Minnesota’s roads and claimed that he doesn’t “understand the connection” between driver’s licenses and immigration status.

“He’s here illegally, he can’t read, and he got a license under your provisions!” Perry said. “And he’s driving all across the country, imperiling everybody else! That’s the connection!” Perry concluded.

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Los Angeles officials joined protesters in a demonstration against new policies proposed by the Trump administration to ensure federal housing is used only by U.S. citizens.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced an effort to root out illegal immigrants who have been using federally funded housing directly or indirectly though their citizen family members.

‘Your neighbor in public housing is not your enemy. The family using Section 8 is not your enemy. Mixed-status families are not your enemy.’

On Tuesday, activists in Los Angeles spoke out against the policies at a press conference in front of L.A. City Hall.

“This administration is seeking a rule change that would put 1,700 local families with children on the street immediately,” said Pastor Bridie Roberts with Unite Here Local 11.

L.A. City Council member Ysabel Jurado inadvertently indicated that there may be far more illegal immigrants using federal housing.

“Nearly one in five public housing households in our city is mixed status,” said Jurado.

According to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, as of 2023, there were more than 6,200 units of public housing in Los Angeles. If one in five of those include families with illegal aliens, then that comes to over 1,200 units and perhaps 3,400 families or more.

Council member Hugo Soto-Martinez, who admitted that he had lived in a “mixed status” household, said as many as 6,800 people were at risk of being “ripped” out of their homes.

Some of the members of “mixed families” showed up at the protest and spoke out against the policy change.

“It’s not just my family. It’s thousands of families who are at risk,” said Josefina Estrada in Spanish to KABC-TV.

L.A. City Council member Tim McOsker claimed the policy would decrease public safety, “put families out on the street,” and increase poverty.

“Immigrants are not your enemy. Your neighbor in public housing is not your enemy. The family using Section 8 is not your enemy. Mixed-status families are not your enemy,” said council member Eunisses Hernandez.

RELATED: ‘Quite literally insane’: DHS responds to LA activists scheme to warn illegal aliens about ICE

Hernandez also introduced a council resolution to oppose the HUD policy.

“No HUD, we are not going to allow you to break up families,” she added. “Here in L.A., thousands of people could face eviction.”

The illegal alien advocates asked for people to flood the HUD website with comments opposing the policy, but those who support the policy can also comment at this link.

Council member Jurado was mocked in February when she was photographed apparently napping during a council closed session. She said she may have dozed off while reading.

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​La officials vs trump, How many illegal immigrants use public housing, Hud public housing illegal migrants, Illegal alien advocates, Politics 

President Trump carried out one of the most consequential military operations in recent history, killing 40 of Iran’s leaders along with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — but the media and liberals would rather stand with Iran.

“It’s very clear what side the Democrats and the mainstream media stand on. And it’s not America’s side, and it’s not on the side of freedom either,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says.

“I unequivocally oppose this war of choice and everyone should. And the bottom line, when it comes down to it, is that if we want to stop Donald Trump with this random decision that he has arrived at, then Congress must act, and Congress must act immediately,” former Vice President Kamala Harris told Fox following the president’s actions.

“The American people do not want our sons and daughters to go into this unauthorized war of choice, and I unequivocally oppose it,” she added.

“It is so disingenuous from the woman who was the vice president in an administration that was perfectly fine continuing the Russia-Ukraine war. I mean, we funded it. We gave them weapons. We did everything we could to continue that war under her administration,” Gonzales says.

“In fact, remember, there were moments where there could have been a negotiation, and she and Joe Biden or whoever the hell was pulling his puppet strings said, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t negotiate. We will keep funding this forever.’ So I don’t want to hear it from her,” she continues.

But it’s not just Harris that Gonzales takes issue with.

“I don’t want to hear it from the Democrats. I mean, Barack Obama was the king of dropping bombs without getting authorization. So I’m just not going to be lectured to by the likes of Kamala Harris,” Gonzales says, pointing out that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) also publicly sided with Iran.

“You cannot ‘free’ people by killing them and destroying their country,” Tlaib wrote in a post on X.

“A terrorist who is in our country actually serving in Congress sided with the Ayatollah?” Gonzales says, adding, “I’m so shocked.”

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Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow presented U.S. senators with a disturbing map, revealing 338,000 U.S. IP addresses allegedly distributing child sexual abuse material.

Tebow testified on Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which held a hearing about confronting child trafficking.

‘This is a fight of good vs. evil, and we are losing.’

Tebow, the chairman and founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, explained to lawmakers that he attended a meeting in Lyons, France, in 2023 alongside experts in victim identification, and they determined that there were more than 57,000 abused and unidentified children who appeared in multiple images.

Just two years later, that number has grown to over 89,000, Tebow stated, citing INTERPOL’s database.

Tebow’s map was blanketed with a sea of red pins, each marking the location of an alleged offender. Also indicated on the map were blue pins, showing the locations of open law enforcement investigations; however, those markings were few and far between.

“There’s a red dot map right over there over my right shoulder,” he told lawmakers. “That’s just a six-month screenshot of the U.S., and every red dot that is on there is someone that is downloading, sharing, or distributing child rape images, almost all under the age of 12.”

RELATED: Government-paid traffickers? Noem testifies Biden administration funded abuse of migrant kids

Tim Tebow. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

He described the map as showing over 338,000 red pins, adding that an estimated 55% to 85% of those are also alleged “hands-on offenders.”

While pointing to the map, Tebow stated, “If you could also look, there’s blue dots on there. You can’t really see them, but the blue ones are the ones that are under investigation.”

Tebow’s written testimony noted that the map was based on Justice Department and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program data.

“We have to do a whole lot more, and we have to do it faster because every day we wait, they’re suffering. They’re crying. And I believe right now many of them are praying that we would respond,” Tebow told lawmakers. “The question is, will we actually accept the responsibility of caring for these boys and girls and truly protecting them, or are we just going to continue to talk about it?”

During the hearing, Tebow noted that it is nearly impossible to estimate how many children are being abused and have yet to be identified.

“That’s just one database,” he said. “So, one of the things that we would ask and plead this committee to work on is an international treaty of getting all of the different databases to work together to deconflict so we actually get a ground truth on what the number is.”

He stated that Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, Canada, Australia, and INTERPOL each maintain separate databases.

RELATED: After years infiltrating child exploitation rings, expert reveals an even DARKER American underworld

Josh Hawley. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) shared data from INTERPOL, which estimated that of the images of unidentified and exploited children, 60% were victims under 12, and 4.3% were infants.

Tebow advocated the passage of the bipartisan Renewed Hope Act of 2026, highlighting that it would allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to hire 200 more victim identification specialists and child exploitation investigators. He pointed out that currently, there are only 10 such specialists.

“Law enforcement needs more resources, more support … a bigger rescue team,” Tebow wrote in a post on social media. “This is a fight of good vs. evil, and we are losing.”

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​News, Tim tebow, Josh hawley, Senate, Senate judiciary committee, Tim tebow foundation, Interpol, Child abuse, Child sexual abuse, Csam, Child trafficking, Renewed hope act of 2026, Politics 

Former Republican strategist Bill Kristol tried to mock the rationale for the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and was ridiculed by critics pointing out his past contradictory statements.

Kristol weighed in on a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio explaining to a reporter that the “intent” of the strike was separate from the “timing” of the attack.

‘Have some self awareness and sit down.’

“Incoherent walk back by Rubio, after he said yesterday the threat was imminent so no time to go to Congress,” responded Kristol. “But to the degree Rubio is now saying, no, the president all along intended a major assault on Iran, there’s no excuse for not having gone to Congress for authorization.”

But only two months prior, Kristol was calling for the administration to help “overthrow” the regime in Iran.

“The Trump administrations should be helping the brave people of Iran overthrow a cruel and terror-sponsoring dictatorship, rather than threatening our democracy ally Denmark,” he posted. “But that would require having an administration that supports American interests and principles.”

And in June 2025, Kristol referred to Iran as “our enemy” when criticizing the president’s statement, saying he was not “happy” with Israel.

“I assume all pro-Israel Trump idolators, supporters, and rationalizers will rush to denounce this horrifying moral equivalence an American president has drawn between our friend Israel and our enemy Iran,” he wrote.

Many demolished Kristol for the seeming contradiction.

“You just keep digging further and further making you the butt of so many jokes. We’re enjoying it though!! So keep it up!!” responded one account.

“Bill, you are rightfully getting crushed on X today. Have some self awareness and sit down,” said one account.

“If you told me 30 years ago that Bill Kristol would be coming to the Iranian Mullahs’ defense I’d have told you that you were crazy,” read another response.

RELATED: US ‘suicide drones’ deployed against Iran are based on Iranian tech from drones in Ukraine

“Why don’t you just sit this out Bill,” said another.

“You seem to have zero principles. You’re just a never Trumper grifter these days.”

Kristol addressed some of the criticism in a post at the Bulwark, where he noted his past support for regime change in Iran. He argued that the manner in which the administration proceeded without congressional authority is the issue and accused the government of having no transition plan after the strikes are completed.

The political commentator is known for defending the U.S. invasion of Iraq but has declared himself a Democrat after being a vehement opponent of President Donald Trump.

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​Bill kristol on iran, Us-israeli strike on iran, Bill kristol contradiction, Liberals on strike on iran, Politics 

When a garage pull rope that was shaped like a noose was discovered in Bubba Wallace’s garage at the Talladega Superspeedway in 2020, the media had a field day.

Despite the FBI determining Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime, NASCAR’s reputation was tarnished.

Now, according to BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock, NASCAR is “fixing its popularity problem” with Michael Jordan.

Jordan joined NASCAR in 2020 and is making history in the sport after his 23XI Racing team won its third straight NASCAR race to start the 2026 season.

“There’s nothing that the media, mainstream media, loves more than a racial story, and Michael Jordan and Tyler Reddick are making a lot of history in a sport that has a lot of so-called racial baggage,” Whitlock says.

“Around 2006, 2007, NASCAR fell off a cliff in terms of popularity and visibility and just relevance and traction. Most people attributed that fall-off to the stock market crash in 2007 and that the hundreds of thousands of fans that would go from city to city to city with NASCAR, they lost their economic stability,” he explains.

“And that’s what most people believe gutted NASCAR. I’m going to posit a theory that, yes, the economic collapse played a role, but the economic collapse was about gutting all of the working class. And NASCAR built its reputation on southern rednecks, working-class people, you know, heart of America people,” he says.

“There was one path back, that NASCAR had to place the race card. They had to create ‘Race Jam.’ They tried to do it with Bubba Wallace. Bubba Wallace is a weak, inferior driver. He’s no good. And so, they couldn’t do it with Bubba,” he continues.

But Michael Jordan is different.

“The guy stepped away from basketball 25 years ago, hasn’t lost a bit of relevancy, and it’s Michael Jordan, and they’ve injected him into NASCAR, and they’ve injected that storyline into NASCAR,” Whitlock says. “And I think it’s going to produce results.”

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Three females were caught on video going on a rampage at the drive-thru window of New Jersey Wendy’s fast-food restaurant recently — and now they’re facing criminal charges.

Police in Ewing Township said the incident occurred just before 3 a.m. Feb. 21 at the restaurant in the 1700 block of Olden Avenue. It is open 24 hours a day.

‘Insane.’

Police said they received a report about disorderly customers who broke a drive-thru window.

An investigation revealed that three females damaged property, attempted to assault employees with items, and fled the scene before officers arrived.

However, police said employees recorded video of the incident, and as a result, police were able to identify the suspects: 18-year-old Saniyah Brittingham, 19-year-old Leah Williford Stevens, and 23-year-old Honesty Harrison, all of whom hail from neighboring Trenton.

Police said Brittingham and Williford Stevens are facing charges of burglary, criminal mischief, and unlawful possession of a weapon, while Harrison is facing charges of criminal mischief and burglary.

Brittingham and Harrison turned themselves in Friday, but Williford Stevens was still at large, according to WPVI-TV.

In the station’s video report below, the females are seen chucking drinks and other items at employees as apparent food is splattered around the drive-thru window — as well on the suspects. It appears toward the end of one clip that the trio get a taste of their own medicine as a huge batch of liquid flies in their direction as they take off running.

RELATED: Wendy’s worker punches drive-thru customer through car window — then steals car, hits victim with car, bites 2 cops: Police

WPVI said police didn’t indicate what may have sparked the incident, and a handful of people the station interviewed seemed deflated by the whole thing.

“I kinda get depressed about seeing young people just do that,” Rupert Johnson of neighboring Lawrence, N.J., told WPVI.

“This is not something that should be happening,” Dawn Hemsey of Ewing Township told the station, adding that the actions caught on video are “insane.”

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NBA legend Charles Barkley says “stupid” people “need something to trigger them.”

The Hall of Fame player was referring to the Team USA men’s Olympic hockey team visiting President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address and the White House last month. The event sparked controversy because of the way Trump delivered the invite.

‘I’m not a Trump guy. I want to make that clear.’

The president called the men’s locker room after the team defeated Canada 2-1 in the gold medal game on February 22, but his invite to the White House included a joke about the women’s gold medal team.

“We’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” the president told the team as they laughed. He added that he “probably would be impeached” if he didn’t.

While the call resulted in apologies, condemnations, and struggle sessions with the media, Barkley defended the team’s choice to visit the capital.

“Guys who didn’t want to go shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go. I’ve said this before. I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go,” Barkley told co-host Ernie Johnson on “The Steam Room.”

“I’m not a Trump guy. I want to make that clear,” Barkley reiterated. “But I respect the office. He’s the president of the United States. But if guys don’t want to go, I understand that too. It doesn’t have to be a talking point. It doesn’t have to be … ‘un-American.'”

Earlier in the discussion, the 63-year-old made a point of saying that while he did not agree with everything the government does, he understands that the general public can’t stop themselves from being triggered.

RELATED: Boston Bruins players cave over Trump phone call: ‘Certainly sorry’ — ‘we should have reacted differently’

“Yo, man, why do y’all have to mess up everything?” Barkley said about Trump’s phone call. He then told his fellow Americans to stop “falling for stupidity” like that, while also placing blame on the government for purposely saying things that trigger people.

“I know y’all say stuff to trigger them. Y’all say stuff, and y’all know they going to be fools,” Barkley told the administration.

When co-host Johnson tried to redirect Barkley’s blame to Trump’s call to the hockey team, the former athlete said that people should control themselves and not react to everything, but also that they often react anyway because they are “stupid.”

“We don’t have to fall for stupidity, Ernie,” Barkley argued. “But we do, [and] that’s my point. These people out here are stupid. They need something to trigger them.”

RELATED: Team USA players interrogated by woke Canadian media over Trump call — ‘Why would you laugh?’

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Barkley went on to say he did not like how divisive the phone call had become, and that such division has “screwed up” the United States.

“Everything is not Democrat, Republican, conservative, or liberal,” he argued. “That’s why we got this divided, screwed-up country.”

“Stop it, man,” Barkley soon pleaded, looking directly into the camera. The Alabaman then reinforced his reasoning one more time.

“The public — they’re idiots. They’re fools. They can’t think for themselves.”

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s challenge to incumbent Sen. John Cornyn went unresolved in Tuesday’s heated Republican primary race, as neither candidate proved able to secure 50% of the total vote.

With over 95% of the votes in as of Wednesday afternoon, Cornyn leads Paxton 41.9% to 40.7%, reported the Associated Press.

‘We must win in November.’

Several hours after the Cornyn campaign stated on social media that “Judgement Day is coming for Ken Paxton,” President Donald Trump announced that he would be staging an intervention and handpicking which of the two candidates — each of whom netted the support of approximately 900,000 Texans — he wants to compete against Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the general election.

Trump stated that the GOP primary race in Texas “cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW!”

Claiming that his GOP endorsements have “been virtually insurmountable,” Trump said that he will be endorsing one of the two candidates imminently and asking the disfavored candidate “to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!”

“We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively!” continued the president, referring to Talarico. “Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!”

RELATED: Chip Roy’s political future uncertain after nail-biting Texas AG race

Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images, Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

“We must win in November!” he concluded.

The runoff election will be held on May 26 in the event that both candidates remain in the race.

On Wednesday afternoon, Paxton tweeted, “Last night, in a historic failure for John Cornyn, he failed to get nearly 60% of the GOP vote after spending $100 million. It’s time to finish the job in the runoff.”

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The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling deciding how persecution claims can be handled in asylum cases.

The unanimous decision in Urias-Orellana v. Bondi found that federal courts must defer to immigration agencies about facts being claimed by asylum seekers.

The unanimous decision says courts must accept findings from the immigration agencies unless they meet a ‘substantial evidence’ standard.

Douglas Humberto Urias-Orellana is an immigrant from El Salvador who fled to the U.S. in 2021 with his wife and his minor child after allegedly facing death threats from a drug cartel. The family’s claims were deemed by an immigration judge not to meet the persecution standard and ordered them to be deported.

Urias-Orellana sued against the deportation and called on the Supreme Court to accept his persecution claims.

Instead, the unanimous decision says courts must accept findings from the immigration agencies unless they meet a “substantial evidence” standard.

The bottom line is that asylum seekers will find it harder to challenge orders of deportation if their persecution claims are denied.

The ruling was written by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

RELATED: US Catholic bishops call on SCOTUS to shut down Trump birthright citizenship order and protect ‘human dignity’

The Alliance for Justice issued a statement prior to the ruling supporting the asylum seeker’s cause.

“In Urias-Orellana vs. Bondi, the Court could raise the bar as to how much deference courts of appeals should give to a determination by the Board of Immigration Appeals on whether an asylum seeker has been persecuted in their home country,” their statement read. “A ruling that raises the bar could mean that individuals with credible fears for their safety may be denied refuge simply because they cannot meet a higher procedural threshold.”

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Weeks after Don Lemon and dozens more agitators allegedly stormed a church service in Minnesota, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon made a much-anticipated announcement.

On Wednesday, Dhillon announced that all 39 individuals suspected of disrupting the church service had been arrested as of Monday, adding an intriguing detail about a couple of the arrests.

‘Outstanding work by DOJ. You don’t get to terrorize churchgoers in America.’

“As of Monday, all 39 individuals indicted in the attack on Cities Church in MN had been arrested, two of them while abroad,” Dhillon wrote on X.

“We @CivilRights look forward to bringing justice to the victims of this attack and demonstrating our commitment to justice for all!” she continued.

RELATED: Don Lemon enters plea following January arrest in connection with Minnesota church disruption

Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Activists stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18.

Apparently among them was ex-CNN talking head Don Lemon, who previously pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights and violating the FACE Act.

Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) praised the DOJ’s persistence in this case: “Outstanding work by DOJ. You don’t get to terrorize churchgoers in America.”

Likewise, BlazeTV host Auron MacIntyre lauded the arrests, noting how easily the case could have disappeared in the news cycle.

“I appreciate the follow-through on this. Many people predicted that the administration would do nothing and with all of the other news it would have been easy to let this quietly drop out of the cycle. But they didn’t, they charged them all,” MacIntyre said.

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Before telling employees they do not get a say in how the government uses OpenAI services, CEO Sam Altman said intelligence agencies are no longer allowed to use OpenAI as they see fit.

On Monday, Altman cited the Fourth Amendment as a reason to change OpenAI’s contract with the federal government.

‘The Department also affirmed that our services will not be used by Department of War intelligence agencies.’

Altman said the company would amend its deal to include the following text: “Consistent with applicable laws, including the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution … the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals.”

The text added, “For the avoidance of doubt, the Department understands this limitation to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance, or monitoring of U.S. persons or nationals, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information.”

Altman expressed a desire for a “democratic process” that could protect the civil liberties of Americans, while adding that the Department of War agreed to the new terms that keep his product out of the hands of the intelligence community.

“The Department also affirmed that our services will not be used by Department of War intelligence agencies (for example, the NSA). Any services to those agencies would require a follow-on modification to our contract.”

Unfortunately for Altman, his post was hit with a hard community note that claimed this was “the opposite” of what he told employees the next day.

RELATED: Gamers REVOLT over age-verify scheme subjecting users to ‘suspicious entity detection’

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

As CNBC reported, Altman told staff at an internal meeting that the company does not get a say in how the government uses OpenAI for operations.

“So maybe you think the Iran strike was good and the Venezuela invasion was bad,” Altman reportedly said on Tuesday. “You don’t get to weigh in on that.”

OpenAI does not “get to make operational decisions” regarding how its AI is used by the Department of War, the CEO added.

Altman also reportedly told his team that while the Pentagon respects his company’s expertise, the agency made it clear that the final decisions rest solely with Secretary Pete Hegseth.

RELATED: Sam Altman slams ICE in message to OpenAI employees: ‘What’s happening … is going too far’

The about-face seems even more bizarre when considering Altman’s follow-up post on X from Monday evening. In it, he described “alignment, democratization, empowerment, and individual agency” as the principles he cares most about.

At the same time he explained how AI needs to be “democratized” for the world as an open product, he wondered how he would feel if his product could have prevented an attack on U.S. soil but was not used by the government.

“I think there are real dangers coming to the world, and maybe pretty soon; I tried to put myself in the mindset of how I’d feel the day after an attack on the US or a new bioweapon we could have helped prevent.”

This is more in tune with what he told his employees on Tuesday, which also included that he hoped the government would be “willing to work with us, even if our safety stack annoys them.”

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Since the commencement of Operation Epic Fury, six United States service members have been killed in the Middle East. Four of the six have now been identified.

On Tuesday, the Department of War released the identities of four Army Reserve soldiers who died on Sunday in support of the operation against Iran.

‘We will remember their names, their service, and their sacrifice.’

The soldiers died in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba during an unmanned aircraft system attack, according to the U.S. Army’s press release. All four were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa.

RELATED: US service member death toll continues to rise amid Operation Epic Fury

The deceased were identified as: Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa.

“We honor our fallen Heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation. Their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families, will never be forgotten,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of Army Reserve and commanding general U.S. Army Reserve Command.

“On behalf of the Army Reserve, we express our heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones. We remain steadfast in our commitment to honoring the legacy of our fallen and supporting their teammates and families during this difficult time,” said Harter.

“Our nation is kept safe by folks like these — brave men and women who put it all on the line every single day. They represent the heart of America. We will remember their names, their service, and their sacrifice,” said Maj. Gen. Todd Erskine, commanding general, 79th Theater Sustainment Command.

ABC News reported that the other two service members’ identities are being withheld until after next of kin have been notified. They were reportedly killed in the same strike. Eighteen others were reportedly injured in the strike as well.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Capt. Cody Khork, a resident of Lakeland, Fla., enlisted as a 13P, Multiple Launch Rocket System/fire direction specialist in the National Guard in 2009. He commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2021; and Poland in 2024. U.S. Army

Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, a resident of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, enlisted in the National Guard as a 92A, automated logistics specialist in 2005. She transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006 and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019. U.S. Army

Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, a resident of Bellevue, Nebraska, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a 91B, wheeled vehicle mechanic. He had two deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. U.S. Army

Sgt. Declan Coady, posthumously promoted from specialist, a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as a 25B, Army information technology specialist. U.S. Army

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Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television are so confident in their upcoming “God of War” adaptation that they’ve already ordered two seasons.

But their initial marketing push has drawn sharp criticism from the man who created the video game franchise.

‘It’s just a dumb f**king image.’

Bathroom break

Last week, Amazon unveiled the first image of Kratos — the Spartan warrior at the center of the massively popular games. In it, Kratos crouches in the woods, leaning on his haunches as he watches his son Atreus draw an arrow.

The photo was meant to stoke excitement for the live-action take on one of gaming’s most iconic characters.

For God of War creator David Jaffe, however, it caused an entirely different reaction.

RELATED: Comic calls out Peter Dinklage: ‘You were in the most offensive movie to little people ever made’

“Could you find a picture that doesn’t look like he’s s***ting in the woods?” asked Jaffe. “Because that’s what the picture looks like.”

Potty mouth

Jaffe made the comments in a video posted to his YouTube channel. In the clip, he says he’s “a little worried” about the first impression the show was making. “What the f**k is this?” he said. “It’s just a dumb f**king image.”

While Jaffe stressed that he was still confident in the show’s creative team — saying he had “absolutely no doubt it is going to be a good show” — he refused to soften his stance on the squatting Spartan.

RELATED: Robert Duvall: Hollywood ‘Apostle’ who took Jesus seriously

“Two things can be true [at once],” he said. “This can be a terrible image — and it is. It’s so bad in so many ways.”

Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Flush with success

God of War is not the first of Jaffe’s properties to make the jump to television. Paramount+ recently renewed its “Twisted Metal” adaptation for a third season. As co-creator of the game (with Scott Campbell), Jaffe directed four Twisted Metal games between 1995 and 2012.

Amazon has increasingly bet on video game adaptations in the streaming arms race. That strategy has delivered at least one breakout hit — “Fallout” — while several other high-profile projects remain in development.

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