As Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion under President Donald Trump close in on the first full week attacking Iran, the House has passed a resolution reaffirming Iran’s pariah status against the United States. However, over 50 Democrats have refused to go along.

In a Thursday vote on a resolution reaffirming that “Iran continues to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” 53 Democrats voted against the resolution, while Republicans voted unanimously in favor of it.

‘It’s disappointing — but not shocking — that 53 of my Democrat colleagues could not vote in support of a resolution calling out Iran’s terrorism.’

Sponsored by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), the nonbinding resolution passed 372-53, with two Democrats voting present and five members not voting, including the embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas).

Of course, all members of the “Squad” of progressive Democrats were among the ranks of those who voted against the resolution: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

RELATED: House passes the buck on Mace’s push for sexual misconduct disclosure amid Tony Gonzales scandal

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.)Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The two-page resolution stated several reasons Iran is inimical to the United States, including sponsoring enemies who have killed U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.

The reasons included, for example, that “the Islamic Republic of Iran remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and provides substantial financial and military support to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.”

The resolution also made note of the Iranian nuclear enrichment program: “Whereas, according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafeal Grossi, Iran has amassed a large stockpile of enriched uranium and continues to block access to undeclared sites in Iran affiliated with their ‘big, ambitious nuclear weapons program.'”

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) claimed the resolution “contains inaccuracies and is designed to justify the President’s actions in Iran.”

On the other hand, North Dakota Rep. Julie Fedorchak, a Republican, said in a statement: “Standing with our allies and confronting state-sponsored terrorism is essential to protecting Americans and advancing stability around the world. This resolution sends a strong message that we will not ignore or excuse the regime’s extremist actions.”

“It’s disappointing — but not shocking — that 53 of my Democrat colleagues could not vote in support of a resolution calling out Iran’s terrorism,” Fedorchak subsequently wrote on X.

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A Republican congressman trying to unravel the unbelievable spending under the Biden administration was rightfully angered by one example exposed during congressional testimony with a State Dept. official on Thursday.

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers tried to explain one program that paid for making maps more “queer,” as she testified in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

‘Nonbinary and trans francophone linguistic attitudes and ideologies towards inclusive French in Montreal, Canada.’

“Can you tell me, what is ‘queering the map’?” asked Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida.

“So, I think we were trying to make the maps more gay,” Rogers replied.

“Literally? How do you make a map more gay?” he responded. “Or gay at all?”

“Since the age of cartography, we’ve had pretty good maps, but maybe they weren’t gay enough,” she said.

“So, I know also, I took critical theory in college,” Rogers added. “I think sometimes people use ‘queer’ as a verb. I do understand that the maps that we were trying to make gay were, I think, of Czechia and Slovakia. So maybe those countries asked for it? I doubt it, but I don’t know.”

“We do have real things to work on in Congress,” the congressman claimed, “like what’s going on with the imminent threat of Iran, and it is embarrassing that we have to talk about the fact that things like this were funded: nonbinary and trans francophone linguistic attitudes and ideologies towards inclusive French in Montreal, Canada.”

Video of the exchange from Chairman Mast’s official account was widely circulated on social media.

“My time is expired. I’m gonna give you a list of these, and any of these you can provide me the receipt for: the Facebook link to where they wanted to take photos of how they were doing a DEIA flash mob in Kyrgyzstan,” Mast continued.

“Whatever documentation they have of all these things,” he concluded, “we would love to see that and would absolutely love to know the individuals specifically that were busy writing these grants because they have no business receiving another paycheck from the people of the United States of America.”

RELATED: Pete Buttigieg shoveled out $80 billion in DEI from Transportation Dept while ignoring air traffic control upgrades: Report

Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan detailed some of the crazier spending under Biden during his speech at the hearing.

“The Biden State Department spent $25,000 on transgender opera in Colombia, $150,000 to ‘build the capacity of intersex leaders’ in India, $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador, $72,000 for queering the map of Slovakia, whatever that means, and the list goes on.”

Rogers responded to the video from her social media account.

“Czechia and Slovakia are great countries. I’m sorry that my predecessors ‘queered’ your maps! This is why future public diplomacy grants will be streamlined, accountable — and channeled toward real American interests, like free speech and sports diplomacy,” she wrote.

A Newsweek fact-check found the claim that the Biden administration spent taxpayer money on a drag show in Ecuador to be true.

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New York state senators are looking to gatekeep information from more than a dozen professions.

In an alleged attempt to block AI chatbots from providing harmful advice to users, New York Democrats have proposed a bill targeting any program that is “impersonating certain licensed professionals.”

‘A chatbot user would also be allowed to bring civil action against the chatbot provider.’

The bill would prohibit a chatbot from giving “substantive responses,” information, or advice that when taken by a “natural person” would constitute illegal advice or practice. Specifically, it would relate to occupations that require licensing.

The legislation specifically referred to professions listed under official New York state articles and includes the following: medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, podiatry, optometry, engineering, architecture, psychology, social work, and mental health services (including various counselors, therapists, and “psychoanalysts”).

If passed into law, a chatbot user would also be allowed to bring civil action against the chatbot provider to recover damages, attorneys’ fees, and any money spent as a result of following the AI’s advice.

RELATED: Shock report reveals Gen Zers and Millennials dislike AI ads more than ever — as executives double down

Photo by Neil Constantine/NurPhoto via Getty Images

First proposed in April 2025, the bill (S7263) is sponsored by state Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D) of the 59th district, with co-sponsors state Senators Michelle Hinchey (D), John C. Liu (D), and Julia Salazar (D).

According to outlet City & State New York, Hinchey appears to be the only one of the senators who did not endorse Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his campaign.

The bill recently passed through the Internet and Technology Committee of New York with a 6-0 vote and will now go to the state Senate floor.

RELATED: Sam Altman says NSA can’t use OpenAI — then tells staff they don’t have a say in military actions

Photo by Udo Salters Photography/Getty Images

An interesting and perhaps overlooked part of the bill — aside from the fact that it mirrors a 2024 “South Park” episode — includes the declaration that chatbot providers must provide “clear, conspicuous, and explicit notice to users” that they are interacting with AI.

The notice would have to appear in easily legible language, in the same format the chatbot is using. This would likely avoid confusion for consumers who are wondering if a business’ support platform is utilizing prewritten answers, providing human customer support, or simply using an AI chatbot assistance program.

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A young D.B. Sweeney circled a juicy role in the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” based on the best-seller by Larry McMurtry.

Sweeney later demurred, opting for a somewhat smaller part. Why? Playing “Dish” Boggett meant sharing scenes with Robert Duvall. And that, he figured, would be priceless.

‘There’s so much desperation. People want to be famous so bad, that energy leads to some dark pathways.’

Good call.

Lessons from a master

“He was my hero,” Sweeney tells Align of the legendary actor, who passed away at 95 last month. “I learned more from film acting from him than anybody else.”

Sweeney marveled at Duvall’s meticulous approach to his craft, like hiring a real-life tracker at his own expense so that he could better capture that skill set for a single scene. Duvall also called in a “quick-draw specialist” to hone his skills with a firearm.

“He wasn’t just being thorough or method-y,” Sweeney says. “It was all very specific to what his character is going to do in the movie.”

And, Sweeney adds, Duvall had fun along the way. Always.

Those lessons hit home for the rising star, who landed key roles early in his career with films like “Gardens of Stone” (1987), “Eight Men Out” (1988), and “The Cutting Edge” (1992).

Troubling subject

He’s been working ever since, including a part in 2024’s “Megalopolis,” Francis Ford Coppola’s return to filmmaking after a 13-year pause.

Now, he’s co-starring in “Protector,” an action yarn hitting theaters today in which a military veteran (Milla Jovovich) is forced to use her skills to save her daughter from human traffickers. Sweeney describes his role as like the corrupt cop Brian Dennehy played in 1982’s “First Blood.”

He says the new film has some of that Sylvester Stallone hit in its creative DNA, along with the 2008 smash “Taken.” The troubling subject matter hit home for Sweeney, from the unending Epstein files saga to his own experience around major cultural events.

“It’s a huge problem,” he says of sex trafficking.

“Protector” casts Jovovich as a heroine who uses her military background for good. It’s a far cry from how Hollywood depicted soldiers during the 2000s, a time when many films showed the darkest side of the U.S. military.

Think “Redacted” (2007), “Lions for Lambs” (2007), and “Green Zone” (2010).

Nailing the details

More recent films like “Thank You for Your Service” (2017) and “American Sniper” (2014) showed a more balanced side to the modern soldier. Sweeney credits part of that shift to studios leaning on military veterans as advisers. That not only helps nail the smaller details but influences storytelling in general.

That has impacted him, too.

He worked on the CBS series “Jericho,” a postapocalyptic thriller that relied on military veterans for military accuracy. Sweeney bonded with the veterans advising the show along the way.

At 64, Sweeney is still working in an industry that’s convulsing under the weight of new technologies and streaming wars. AI fears aren’t make-believe, he warns.

“I’m worried about actors being replaced with digital avatars. That’s a real thing,” he says. It helps that “Protector” relied on old-school stunt work over CGI trickery. He says that’s what could help his fellow artists: a reliance on authenticity over digital ones and zeroes.

“It’s one thing AI can’t master,” he says.

Mega moviemaking

His time on the set of “Megalopolis” reminded him how hard it can be to shoot a film, above and beyond the standard-issue struggles like budget constraints and evasive sunlight. The film endured brutal headlines tied to sexual harassment allegations against the 80-something Coppola.

Sweeney, who first worked with the legendary director on “Gardens of Stone,” has the auteur’s back.

“I was there almost every day. He’s a hugger,” he says of Coppola. “He doesn’t have a pervy bone in his body.”

Those salacious reports, plus talk of the film’s massive budget ($120 million), hurt the film’s box office tally.

“The movie got put into a box before anyone has seen it,” he says.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: DB Sweeney on surviving Hollywood and moving to ‘Megalopolis’

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Staying in the light

Some actors who came of age alongside Sweeney saw Hollywood’s seedy side. Think Charlie Sheen, his co-star in “Eight Men Out.” Sheen is currently on a comeback of sorts after years of hard living and outlandish behavior.

Sweeney didn’t follow that path, but he saw it all the same.

“I was invited to all the biggest parties, a dark underbelly with drugs and sex. … I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew this is not for me,” he says. “I gravitated toward using my celebrity for sports tickets. That’s a much more wholesome world to me.”

Others weren’t so fortunate, and he understands why.

“There’s so much desperation. People want to be famous so bad, that energy leads to some dark pathways. You’ll do anything to get that fame,” he says. “People talk about selling their soul to Satan for fame. It’s figuratively true.”

​Entertainment, Culture, Movies, Protector, D.b. sweeney, Epstein files, Hollywood, Align interview 

Wanting to get breast implants as a stunt led to “Jackass” star Steve-O believing transgender-identified people are oppressed.

In 2024, the stuntman planned to get the surgery done for the sake of comedy, telling podcaster Joe Rogan, “This is where the bar is at.”

‘You can’t escape your f**king chromosomes.’

However, the plan fell through when an absent anesthesiologist delayed the procedure. While a doctor was trying to reschedule Steve-O — real name Stephen Gilchrist Glover — the 51-year-old recalled having a change of heart after speaking with a transgender person at a grocery store.

He told Rogan that the “level of oppression” described to him by the person “genuinely f**king broke my heart.”

Washroom woes

“They said, ‘Hey, let me tell you, I am not allowed to use the bathroom at my own place of work,'” Steve-O claimed before Rogan immediately jumped in.

“That’s not true. They’re just not allowed to use the bathroom that doesn’t align with their biological sex,” Rogan began.

Recognizing the reality of “gender dysphoria,” Rogan said at least some men were being given a “golden ticket to go into the women’s locker room … and pretend you’re a woman when you’re just a crazy man and you’re actually into women.”

He added, “You can’t escape your f**king chromosomes … what you’re dealing with is a form of gender dysphoria, which has always been classified as a mental illness until people became much more empathetic and sensitive to people that have this problem.”

Camp canard

In one of several cases where Steve-O agreed he had been out-dueled, he then moved on to his next claim: that politicians are trying to put transgender people “in internment camps.”

RELATED: Two trans-identifying men file lawsuit against ‘dehumanizing’ Kansas law that invalidated their driver’s licenses

While Rogan agreed there “might be one kook” trying to get attention, he added, “There’s no movement to try to put transgender people in internment camps.”

Steve-O’s claim likely stemmed from reports about Republican Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.), who was speaking about Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin’s alleged transgender partner.

“It was a transgender. … It was a tranny,” Mace said to reporters in 2024. Noting that she has received death threats from transgender activists, she added, “They are mentally ill and should be in a straight jacket with a hard steel lock on it.”

As well, Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson (Texas) told Newsmax that transgender people have “legitimate psychiatric issues.”

“We have to do something about this, we have to treat these people, we have to get them off the streets, and we have to get them off the internet, and we can’t let them communicate with one another.”

His statements were also in response to Kirk’s assassination, and both his and Mace’s remarks were made within five days of Kirk’s death. The comments were labeled as calls for institutionalization by some outlets, but there does not appear to be any mention of “internment camps” by any politicians.

Tapping out

During the discussion, Rogan also told Steve-O that transgender people had actually been responsible for more death than Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency Steve-O had spoken out against in February.

RELATED: Supreme Court sides with Catholic parents against California on student gender notification — for now

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“Do you know who’s killed more people than ICE this year? Trans shooters. Do you know the majority of these high school shootings have been transgender people?” Rogan asked.

“I did not know that,” Steve-O replied.

After Rogan referenced medications and hormones as not being good to mix with “mental struggles,” being “ostracized,” and propaganda about trans “genocide,” Steve-O soon admitted that Rogan was making good points.

“You’ve convinced me,” the stuntman said.

Rogan then summarized his argument by comparing it to a country’s borders.

“Can’t have an open border. Doesn’t mean that all immigrants are murderers. … But some people that sneak across the border, if you don’t check, are going to be murderers. It’s just a fact. So you have to have a f**king closed border to check. And you have to have a gender border too.”

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Jasmine Crockett has long been a source of entertainment for BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, who is upset that the congresswoman lost to James Talarico in her bid for a Texas Senate seat.

“We lost Jasmine Crockett. … I am actually upset about it,” Gonzales says, before playing a clip of Crockett angrily responding to the news that she would not immediately have election results on election night.

“My news is that we’re not going to have election results tonight, in my opinion, based upon what specifically is taking place in Dallas County. Unfortunately, this is what Republicans like to do. And so they specifically targeted Dallas County. And I think we all know why,” Crockett announced while she was waiting for the voting results.

“Maybe I’m the dumb one … Republicans didn’t vote in the Democrat primary, so I’m unclear on how Republicans cheated. I don’t know, like orange man bad. It must be Donald Trump’s fault,” Gonzales comments, before playing another clip of Crockett’s speech.

“But I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised,” Crockett said.

After feeling as though she’d been cheated out of the Senate, Crockett is now calling for Americans to “remain resilient” and not allow cheaters to be “rewarded.”

“We encourage each and every one of you to remain resilient. We cannot allow this type of behavior to be rewarded because so long as they know that they can win, even if it means cheating, then they will continue to do it,” Crockett said in another speech.

“Uh, can we get Jasmine’s opinion on the SAVE Act?” Gonzales asks. “Cause like, I don’t know, maybe you guys should all support the SAVE Act and then there will be no more cheating.”

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The employment situation report for February was released on Friday, showing a slowdown after an ostensibly strong start to the year.

The United States lost 92,000 nonfarm jobs in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

The unemployment rate saw a slight uptick compared to January, rising 0.1% to 4.4% in February.

The Hill reported that economists were confronted with an unexpected downturn in total jobs, saying they generally expected the United States to add 60,000.

Additionally, The Hill marked a concerning trend, reporting that the BLS revised December 2025’s initial gain of 48,000 jobs to a loss of 17,000 jobs.

However, consistent with previous trends in President Trump’s first year, the federal government accounted for 10,000 of those jobs losses. BLS reported that federal employment is down by 330,000, or 11% of the federal workforce.

RELATED: ‘Golden Age of America is upon us!’ Delayed January jobs report exceeds expectations

CentrallTAlliance/Getty Images

The unemployment rate saw a slight uptick compared to January, rising 0.1% to 4.4% in February.

“Just as the January jobs report overstated any emerging strength in the labor market, the February employment data give a false impression of deteriorating labor market conditions,” Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics, said in an email to CBS News on Friday.

The employment situation report for March is scheduled to be released on April 3.

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Tuesday’s Senate Republican primary election in Texas between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton triggered a runoff after neither received at least 50% of the vote.

Heading into the May 26 runoff election, both Cornyn and Paxton are hoping to secure President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

‘That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.’

Trump has stated he will endorse one of the candidates, but that he expects the one he does not select to withdraw his bid.

Paxton appeared to stir up some drama with the president when he stated on Wednesday evening that he would continue in the race even if Trump decides to support Cornyn.

Trump, who told Politico on Thursday that he will announce his support for one of the candidates “pretty soon,” seemed to scold Paxton, stating that it is “bad for him to say” that he would not leave the race.

“That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction,” Trump told Politico, indicating that Paxton’s comments may prompt him to endorse Cornyn.

RELATED: Trump to intervene in Texas’ Senate race, anoint his preferred candidate

Ken Paxton. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Later that day, Paxton walked back his earlier statement, writing in a post on X that he would “consider” withdrawing from the race if Senate leadership passes the SAVE America Act.

“The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I’m committed to helping President Trump get it done,” Paxton said.

“John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation.”

“The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me — fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare,” Paxton continued. “For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.”

RELATED: Jasmine Crockett claims voters were ‘disenfranchised’ following crushing defeat in key Texas primary

John Cornyn. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

In his comments to Politico, Trump described the Democrat nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, as “a terribly weak candidate.”

Talarico defeated his opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, by over 7.5 points on Tuesday.

Trump expressed confidence that a Republican candidate could defeat Talarico, concluding that he is “more woke than even the very highly untalented Jasmine Crockett.”

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