Stembridge News Digest

  • 'Take cover': Ambassador Mike Huckabee gives disheartening message to Americans stuck in Israel Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:55:00 +0000


    As Operation Epic Fury enters its fourth day of attacks against Iran, Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, gave a message to Americans stranded in Israel, which is now enduring airstrikes from Iran.

    On Tuesday morning, Huckabee released a video that was just under four minutes long with instructions for Americans on what to do amid the ongoing attacks.

    'The US embassy is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.'

    Huckabee gave an outline of the "fairly limited" options for Americans seeking to leave Israel.

    "What we are recommending to all of our American citizens, including our own embassy staff, is follow the directions of Home Front Command, which are right now to shelter in place and to be close to a shelter at all times," Huckabee said. "Follow the alerts. If you hear the siren, make sure you take cover. That's the best thing you can do."

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

    Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

    The Home Front Command is an arm of the Israel Defense Forces responsible for search-and-rescue missions in Israel and around the world, according to the HCF website.

    Huckabee stressed that all Americans in Israel and the surrounding area should sign up for the State Department's STEP program, which communicates necessary updates to U.S. citizens.

    The ambassador to Israel added one other option, though there are obvious risks and uncertainties involved with it as well: "In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is providing bus service from several locations — Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem — to go to Taba, just across the border in Egypt, and from there, flights could be available from the Taba airport, though there are limited flights. But also ground transportation would be able to be obtained in Taba to go on to Cairo, where the airport is operating normally and efficiently."

    Ground transportation from Tel Aviv to Taba takes an estimated four hours of travel. It takes between six and 10 hours by bus from Taba to Cairo.

    The U.S. embassy for Jerusalem echoed Huckabee's instructions about finding an escape route while saying what Americans in the Middle East never wish to hear during an armed conflict in the region: "The U.S. embassy is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel."

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a similar message on Monday night encouraging Americans to sign up for the STEP program for up-to-date situation notifications. Rubio also announced that the State Department, immediately after Operation Epic Fury commenced, "activated a 24/7 task force, surging personnel and resources necessary to help provide American citizens with up-to-the-minute safety and security information."

    The State Department issued a "worldwide caution" warning on February 28.

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  • 'Despicable' homicide suspect caught on body cam pointing gun at Florida deputy — and pulling trigger, cops say Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:40:00 +0000


    A "despicable" homicide suspect was caught on bodycam video pointing a gun at a Florida deputy and pulling the trigger, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

    Authorities said the Feb. 20 incident took place in Port Charlotte, which is about an hour southeast of Sarasota.

    'Let me be clear: This individual is lucky to be alive today.'

    Deputies got word that two suspects from a Sarasota County burglary were driving through their jurisdiction in a rental car, officials said.

    After observing a traffic violation, deputies stopped the car and made contact with the occupants, officials said.

    The driver was identified as 41-year-old Amy Lee; the passenger refused to provide his identification, officials said.

    At first, neither Lee nor the passenger complied with deputy commands to exit the vehicle, but officials said they soon obeyed when they were told they would be arrested for obstruction.

    Officials learned that Lee was arrested last year on multiple felony charges and that her co-defendant in those cases was 55-year-old Brian Hewson. He turned out to be the passenger in the rental vehicle, and he also had multiple warrants for his arrest, officials said.

    Hewson "immediately resisted" when deputies tried placing him under arrest, and a deputy drew his agency-issued taser while shouting a warning, officials said.

    But Hewson pulled a concealed firearm, pointed it directly at the deputy, and pulled the trigger, officials said.

    However, there was no round in the chamber of the loaded gun, officials said, and it didn't fire.

    With that, the deputy discharged additional taser probes — yet Hewson still tried to re-rack the gun, officials said.

    "Thankfully, due to the neuromuscular incapacitation, Hewson was unable to maintain control of the gun, and it was secured by deputies," officials said.

    RELATED: Florida felon named Blackie accused of pointing gun at vehicle in fit of road rage

    Officials said Hewson was arrested for multiple warrants — including one for homicide in Pennsylvania, one for failure to appear in Pennsylvania, and charges in Lee County related to trafficking stolen property.

    He also was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer for intentionally pointing a firearm at a CCSO deputy, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance (1.1 grams of fentanyl found in the vehicle), resisting with violence, and possession of drug paraphernalia, officials said.

    He was being held at the Charlotte County Jail without bond, officials said.

    RELATED: Knifed for 'being a Christian'? Suspect allegedly stabs man and his dog after asking about victim's religion

    Brian Hewson. Image source: Charlotte County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office

    “Let me be clear: This individual is lucky to be alive today," Sheriff Bill Prummell said, adding that "I want to be sure it is understood that my deputies are trained to eliminate a lethal threat with deadly force. They deserve to go home to their families after their shift. This despicable human tried to take one of my deputies out instead of being a man and accepting accountability for his own decisions. Now he will face the justice he has tried to dodge for so long ... and I hope he spends the rest of his days behind bars.”

    The sheriff's office added in its Facebook post about the incident that "as a point of clarification: We see a few people questioning why our deputy went taser instead of lethal. The answer to that is that he already had the taser in hand before the firearm was seen. Had our deputy attempted to switch from taser to firearm, he likely would have already been shot. The reaction, in the moment, is to use the taser that was already drawn and aimed to incapacitate the suspect. As you can see in the video, this happened VERY quickly."

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  • The SAVE Act NEEDS to pass ... and it’s THIS simple Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:30:00 +0000


    The SAVE America Act is a common-sense bill that would ensure American citizens would decide American elections by requiring voter ID and getting rid of mail-in ballots — which BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler could not be more on board with.

    “It’s basically just elementary voter ID. This should have been passed weeks ago. Why hasn’t it been?” BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler asks, before introducing the vice president of programs at the Conservative Policy Institute, Rachel Bovard.

    “She knows what’s going on and who is to blame and what needs to happen to get the SAVE Act passed,” Wheeler says.

    “It has passed out of the House — twice, actually. So what we’re dealing with: You have the SAVE Act, and then you have the SAVE America Act. And that is where we are now focusing, is the SAVE America Act,” Bovard explains.


    “We had to do a second vehicle, because the SAVE Act passed out of the House in April. It went over to the Senate, where it was then referred to the Senate Rules Committee. And Mitch McConnell is the chair of the Senate Rules Committee and doesn’t like this bill,” she says.

    “I don’t know why. Inexplicably. He’s never spoken on it. He doesn’t like it,” she adds.

    That’s when House and Senate conservatives, working together on the issue, tweaked the bill to reintroduce it as the SAVE America Act.

    “They sent it over to the Senate, and they did something very strategic this time around. They packaged it in such a way, in what we call a message. So they sent it over to the Senate as a message. Meaning, normally, to get on a bill in the Senate, you have to overcome a filibuster. When you have a message, it’s privileged. You don’t. So you can get onto the bill, bypassing the filibuster altogether,” Bovard tells Wheeler.

    “And the second thing that was so brilliant about what they did was when it comes over as a message, it doesn’t get referred to committee. It sits at the desk, where it is just now waiting for Majority Leader John Thune to call it up. Now, will it be subject to a filibuster then? I assume it will,” she says, pointing out that there are two ways to break a filibuster.

    “The one everyone’s very familiar with is invoking cloture, which is 60 votes. But the other way is through physical exhaustion, which is the old-fashioned way, which is making senators stand and speak until they physically cannot do so any longer and then putting the question,” she continues.

    “So instead of having to break through 60 votes, you break through physical exhaustion, and then in both cases, once you’ve broken the filibuster, the bill passes a simple majority," she says. “So that is where things stand right now.”

    Want more from Liz Wheeler?

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  • Living human brain cells are training a chatbot to be 'more like us' Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:50:00 +0000


    A company recently revealed its human-brain-cell-driven chatbot that it has taught to play video games.

    However, even though the program runs on real human cells, it is still hallucinating answers.

    'It could be more able to use biological intelligence in a meaningful way.'

    The company, Cortical Labs, shared a video recently that showed its brain-cell-operated large language model responding in real time to a user prompt. Return reported on the company last year for using brain cells grown on a silicon "chip" for an organic computer. The tech is referred to as synthetic biological intelligence, and the company now appears to have a room full of such computers.

    "This is a whole new paradigm to how ... the syntax of the LLM can be more like us," a company rep said in the video.

    Boasting about his brain-powered chatbot, the voiceover added, "It could be more able to use biological intelligence in a meaningful way to select the next token and to create better responses."

    This example immediately failed, though. When the user asked the program, "Tell me where you want to visit on vacation," the bot cited a place that does not exist.

    "The Great Barrinchi Cove in the Maldives," it stated, before also suggesting "Tuscany, Italy, for its rolling hills, stunning views."

    Despite the complex technology, these types of "hallucinations" are common with AI chatbots and are a somewhat typical occurrence for any frequent chatbot user.

    RELATED: Dystopia: World's first 'biological computer' uses human brain cells that are 'raised in a simulation'

    In 2022, Cortical Labs said it had successfully taught 800,000 living brain cells to learn how to play the game Pong. The cells were linked to a computer to gradually learn to sense the position of the game's ball and control the virtual paddle.

    "If we allow these cells to know the outcome of their actions, will they actually be able to change in some sort of goal-directed way?" Chief Scientific Officer Brett Kagan asked at the time.

    Since then, and after a bevy of requests, the company has advanced its model to play a more complex game: Doom.

    The crude shooter game represents a 21-year jump in technological understanding for the program, given that Doom came out in 1993 and Pong in 1972.

    RELATED: Trump fired Anthropic for being 'leftwing nut jobs,' but the company's AI is conquering the internet

    The recent demo also showed an incomplete answer provided by the chatbot when asked to explain the meaning of life.

    It answered, "The meaning of life is a philosophical question that has been pondered by thinkers and scholars across various cultures and religions for centuries."

    It went on, "It explores the fundamental question of what purpose or ultimate meaning lies in human existence."

    "Different interpretations may vary widely," it added before ending abruptly.

    Cortical Labs has made its research publicly available, letting the viewer decide if the company is indeed creating science "for the greater good," as it has stated.

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  • Here's what the war in Iran means for you at the gas pump Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:35:00 +0000

  • Watch: Bill Clinton defends Trump in Epstein deposition video Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:45:00 +0000


    Former President Bill Clinton testified under oath that President Donald Trump never indicated any improper involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, according to video released Monday by the House Oversight Committee.

    In a 4.5-hour deposition Friday in Chappaqua, New York, as part of the committee’s Epstein probe, Clinton went out of his way to defend Trump. Despite no "follow-up question" compelling him to do so, Clinton interrupted the proceedings to note that he did not want to "leave the impression" that Trump ever mentioned to him any involvement "in anything improper with regard to Epstein."

    Clinton then recalled a conversation with Trump from around 2002 or 2003 at a charity golf tournament at "his golf course" when Trump mentioned his past association with Epstein.

    'I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.'

    Clinton said Trump told him about Epstein: “You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal.”

    “The president never ... said anything to me to make me think he was involved with anything improper with regards to Epstein either, he just didn't,” Clinton stated.

    He later emphasized, “I have no information that he did anything wrong.”

    RELATED: Iranian state TV hijacked with Trump, Netanyahu message urging citizens to 'seize control'

    Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    About his own associations with Epstein, Clinton declared in his opening statement: “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.” He emphasized he had “no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing” and saw no signs of abuse.

    The committee released videos of both Bill Clinton's and Hillary Clinton’s depositions on Monday.

    Republicans highlighted Clinton’s comments on Trump, with Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) calling it an exoneration. Democrats have pushed for Trump to testify as well.

    Neither the Clintons nor Trump have been formally accused of wrongdoing in Epstein’s crimes.

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  • US service member death toll continues to rise amid Operation Epic Fury Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0000


    Since the start of the attacks on Iran on Saturday, the United States and Israel have hit Iranian military capabilities hard. However, those attacks have also come at a steep cost for the United States as Iran retaliates against the joint strikes.

    U.S. Central Command published a heartbreaking update to the number of U.S. service members killed since the war began.

    'Major combat operations continue.'

    On Monday afternoon, CENTCOM wrote: "As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region."

    "Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification," the post added.

    RELATED: Netanyahu denies forcing US into war after mixed messages from Rubio, Johnson

    Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

    CBS News reported that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that an incoming munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait, resulting in U.S. fatalities.

    CENTCOM reported on Sunday that three service members had died. The number rose to four by Monday morning as another service member "succumbed to their injuries."

    The identities of the service members have not been made public.

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  • Female, 46, forces her way into home, attacks homeowner, cops say. But it's yet another poorly chosen home invasion target. Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:15:00 +0000


    A 46-year-old female forced her way into an Iowa home over the weekend and attacked the homeowner, police said. But the homeowner was armed with a gun and used it to shut down the attack.

    Des Moines police were called just before 11 p.m. Saturday to a residence in the 1500 block of Guthrie Avenue in the Union Park neighborhood after a 911 caller said an intruder was attacking the homeowner, KCCI-TV reported.

    Investigators told KCCI the homeowner reported hearing someone yelling in the back yard — and then someone banging on the back door.

    While officers were on their way to the home, the caller told dispatchers the intruder had been shot, the station said.

    When officers arrived, they found Stannita Wilson inside the home with multiple gunshot wounds, KCCI said.

    Officers provided first aid until Des Moines Fire Department rescue personnel arrived and transported Wilson to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center for treatment, the station said.

    Investigators told KCCI the homeowner reported hearing someone yelling in the back yard — and then someone banging on the back door.

    When the homeowner unlocked the door, Wilson allegedly forced her way inside and began assaulting the resident, the station said.

    But the homeowner was armed with a handgun and shot Wilson during the incident, police told KCCI.

    RELATED: 'Anyone who breaks into someone's home should expect to get shot': Gun-toting Florida homeowner takes care of business

    Wilson’s injuries were described as minor, the station said.

    After she was treated and released from the hospital, KCCI reported that Wilson was charged with second-degree burglary, a Class C felony.

    Police added to the station that Wilson was not known to the homeowner — and as of Sunday, no charges had been filed against the homeowner.

    Radio Iowa indicated that the homeowner is a male.

    The incident remains under investigation, KCCI said.

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  • Iran strikes unpacked: Glenn Beck breaks down the chaos — but hold your verdict, he says Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000


    Over the weekend, the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership, nuclear facilities, ballistic missile sites, and military infrastructure, and ignited an ongoing war, sparking Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region.

    On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn Beck and his chief researcher, Jason Buttrill, break down the most important events, the intelligence behind the operation, the scale of military buildup leading up to the strike, and what could come next.

    Turning to the standout moment of the strikes, Glenn emphasizes the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: “We knew exactly where this guy was ... and we gave the information to Israel and said, ‘You want to go get that guy? Go get that guy,’ and they bombed precision, and it was remarkable what happened,” he says.

    Although celebrations of Khamenei's death as a potential step toward liberation are widespread among some Iranians and Iranian-Americans, they are deeply tempered by the devastating strike on a girls' elementary school in southern Iran that killed over 150 people, predominantly young female students and staff.

    The Iranian regime state media has framed the incident as a deliberate, blatant crime by the U.S. and Israel, but Glenn isn’t buying that narrative.

    “Our military does not have evil in their hearts. We are not targeting schools. This is war,” he says, noting that sadly, “accidents do happen.”

    President Trump, he says, “knows how to carry a very big stick,” and these military strikes on Iran are not only about toppling the regime and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; they’re also about sending a clear message to the world: “Don’t ever mess with them.”

    “That’s how you keep the peace,” says Glenn.

    Jason then displays a chart illustrating the massive scale of military firepower deployed in this operation.

    “It is significant — more than we've seen in a very, very long time,” he says, calling the air and naval power involved “absolutely insane.”

    Even though there have been no reports of special forces on the ground in Iran, Glenn speculates that it's highly likely U.S. teams are operating there covertly.

    “Anybody says we won't have anybody on the ground ... I find that highly unlikely because if there is nuclear material, we are going to have to get it out ... to secure the nuclear facilities,” he explains.

    “We saw this the last time when Israel and the United States struck the nuclear targets a few months ago. They had Israeli special forces on the ground picking targets out. I would assume there's something similar to that,” adds Jason.

    “There's also the idea of what happens to a lot of these radicals as they try to flee out of the area. My guess is they're probably gonna go to Iraq,” he continues.

    Glenn acknowledges that “Iraq could become the next Iran” but emphasizes that we need time to observe the fallout from this military operation.

    “Anybody who was definitively saying, ‘this is the greatest thing ever,’ or definitively saying, ‘this is the worst thing ever’ — they're fools. Do not listen to them,” he urges. “This could be really, really good. This could be really, really bad.”

    “What you have to ask is: Do you trust the person who is in command of this?”

    To hear more of Glenn and Jason’s analysis, watch the video above.

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  • Tuesday’s must-watch primaries: The races that will determine if America First takes over in 2026 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:57:20 +0000


    Voters in three states head to the polls on Tuesday, March 3, in the first major test of whether the America First movement will dominate the 2026 midterms, as several prominent Republican incumbents face key primary challenges.

    'I just haven't made a decision on that race yet.'

    Texas

    The highest-profile race Tuesday is arguably the Senate primary matchup between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Rep. Wesley Hunt, and several other Republican candidates.

    It is the most costly Senate primary race in history, with over $122 million spent. Cornyn, who was first elected in 2002, accounts for over 57% of total spending, with $69 million in ad buying by his campaign and outside groups. Total ad buy in support of Hunt is $12 million; for Paxton, $4.1 million.

    Paxton has accused Cornyn of betraying Trump and the America First movement.

    “I’m running to beat Fake Republican John Cornyn. The race is a DEAD HEAT,” Paxton said on Monday as part of an effort to encourage his conservative supporters to contribute to his campaign.

    Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

    Cornyn warned Texans not to vote for Paxton.

    “Ken Paxton will be the kiss of death for Republicans on the ticket in November of 2026,” Cornyn said in February.

    "I think the attorney general, if he's the nominee, could very well lose the seat," he continued. "But if he doesn't lose the seat, he's not going to win except by the hair of his chin. And unfortunately, that will not help the down-ballot races."

    President Donald Trump has not endorsed any candidates in the Texas Senate GOP primary race.

    "I just haven't made a decision on that race yet," Trump told reporters in February.

    "I like all three of them," Trump said, referring to Cornyn, Paxton, and Hunt. "Actually, I like all three. Those are the toughest races. They've all supported me. They're all good, and you're supposed to pick one, so we'll see what happens."

    Also seeking to take over Cornyn's seat, on the Democrat side, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing off against state Rep. James Talarico. Total ad spending in support of Crockett reaches roughly $4.5 million, with $20.8 million for Talarico.

    A poll from the University of Texas at Tyler showed Crockett, who received an endorsement from former Vice President Kamala Harris last week, with a double-digit lead over Talarico.

    “Heading into Election Day, especially with multiple polls showing me ahead," Crockett told her supporters, "I want you to be ready to tune out the noise, the falsehoods, and the onslaught of attacks from D.C. insiders, the Epstein class, and all those who benefit from the status quo.”

    RELATED: Cardi B and Kamala Harris endorse Jasmine Crockett for pivotal US Senate race in Texas: 'Okurrr'

    Jasmine Crockett. Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images

    With Paxton running in the Senate election, multiple Republicans have thrown their hats into the ring to become the state's next attorney general, including Rep. Chip Roy, attorney Aaron Reitz, and state Senators Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman.

    Texas voters will also select their nominee in the gubernatorial primary election, with the general election scheduled for November 3. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is seeking a fourth term and faces several challengers.

    There are also 38 U.S. congressional seats in Texas up for grabs in Tuesday's election.

    Incumbent Rep. Tony Gonzales is up for re-election amid a political crisis over a scandal involving a former staffer who died by suicide. Gonzales is set to have a rematch against Brandon Herrera, a firearms influencer who nearly beat Gonzales in a 2024 runoff.

    Tony Gonzales. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty Images

    Incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R), elected to the House in 2018, is the only Texas Republican incumbent who has not received Trump's endorsement this election cycle. He is facing competition from three Republican candidates: attorney Martin Etwop, Army veteran Nicholas Plumb, and state Rep. Steve Toth.

    Polling in Texas opens at 7:00 a.m. and closes at 7:00 p.m local time. Voting in the Republican or Democrat primary does not require party affiliation. However, voters who choose to participate in one party's primary will be affiliated with that party for the rest of 2026. This affiliation will prevent those voters from casting ballots in the other party's runoff election.

    If no candidate secures more than 50% of the primary vote, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff election on May 26.

    North Carolina

    In June, Sen. Thom Tillis (R) announced his retirement, prompting a dozen candidates, including six Republicans and six Democrats, to run for his seat. Former Republican Party Chair Michael Whatley, who secured Trump's endorsement, is the most prominent name on the GOP side. Former Gov. Roy Cooper is leading the Democrat primary election.

    Donald Trump and Michael Whatley. Photographer: Cornell Watson/Bloomberg/Getty Images

    North Carolina voters will also cast their ballots to select 14 candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. local time. The state holds partially closed elections, in which voters can select only their party's ballots. Unaffiliated voters may choose a Republican or Democratic ballot, but they cannot vote in more than one primary.

    In North Carolina, a runoff election is triggered when the second-place candidate requests it, but this applies only in primaries where the first-place candidate receives 30% or less of the vote. The state's potential runoffs would be held on May 12.

    Arkansas

    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) is up for re-election. While she is running unopposed in the Republican primary, Democrats have a contested primary on Tuesday to choose who will face Sanders. Democrats will decide between state Sen. Fredrick Love and businesswoman Supha Xayprasith-Mays. Libertarian Party candidate Colt Shelby will be on the ballot in the general election on November 3.

    Incumbent Sen. Tom Cotton (R), who took office in 2015, is competing to retain his seat against two Republican candidates: Pastor Micah Ashby and Arkansas State Police Trooper Jeb Little.

    RELATED: 3 contentious Texas primaries that hang in the balance

    Tom Cotton. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    All of Arkansas' four U.S. House districts are holding primary elections on Tuesday.

    Arkansas' polling sites will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time. The state conducts open primaries, allowing voters to select either a Republican or Democratic ballot at the polls without registering with the chosen party.

    The state's runoff elections are triggered if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote. These runoff elections would be held on March 31.

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  • Netanyahu denies forcing US into war after mixed messages from Rubio, Johnson Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:40:00 +0000


    In his Monday appearance on Fox News' "Hannity," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the latest U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran and denied the dominant interpretation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's and House Speaker Mike Johnson's recent remarks about the genesis of the attacks.

    Compelled to act?

    The Trump administration attempted on Monday to address the mounting confusion about the justification and objectives for the Iran strikes.

    'We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces.'

    As part of this broader effort, Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill, "Why now? The first is it was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone, the United States or Israel or anyone, they were going to respond and respond against the United States."

    "The assessment that was made that if we stood and waited for that attack to come first before we hit them, we would suffer much higher casualties," said Rubio.

    "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties and perhaps even higher [than] those killed," continued the secretary. "And then we would all be here answering questions about why we knew that and didn’t act."

    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), a member of the Gang of Eight who was briefed ahead of the resumption of strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, echoed Rubio, suggesting to reporters that the strikes were a "defensive measure."

    "Israel was determined to act in their own defense here with or without American support," said Johnson, suggesting further that Iran posed an "existential threat" to Israel, and its missile production was outstripping "our allies in the region."

    RELATED: Iranian state TV hijacked with Trump, Netanyahu message urging citizens to 'seize control'

    Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images

    "Because Israel was determined to act with or without the U.S., our commander in chief and the administration and the officials I just named had a very difficult decision to make," continued Johnson. "They had to evaluate the threats to the U.S. — to our troops, to our installations, to our assets in the region and beyond — and they determined because of the exquisite intelligence that we had that if Israel fired upon Iran and took action against Iran to take out the missiles, then they would have immediately retaliated against U.S. personnel and assets."

    The suggestion that probable blowback from an ally's planned preemptive attack on another country forced America's involvement in a deadly conflict prompted outrage and debate — even on the right.

    Conservative commentator Matt Walsh, for instance, said in response to Rubio's statement, "So he's flat out telling us that we're in a war with Iran because Israel forced our hand. This is basically the worst possible thing he could have said."

    RELATED: Poll: GOP voters' lukewarm support for Iran strikes significantly lower than past conflicts

    Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    On the flip side, National Review editor Philip Klein suggested that critics had misconstrued Rubio's meaning.

    Klein noted that later in Rubio's press conference, the secretary of state said that the U.S. was not forced to strike because of an impending Israeli action and that "this operation needed to happen because Iran in about a year or a year and a half would cross the line of immunity, meaning they would have so many short-range missiles, so many drones, that no one could do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage."

    'Nobody drags Donald Trump into anything.'

    Democrats such as Sen. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), and former Biden White House Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden made hay of Rubio's and/or Johnson's remarks as did Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who stated, "Mr. Rubio admitted what we all knew: U.S. has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel. There was never any so-called Iranian 'threat.' Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters."

    The outrage over the suggestion that America's hand was forced not by an enemy but by a friend appears to have prompted a response from President Donald Trump, who noted on Monday evening,

    The Radical Left Democrats, a Party that has completely lost its way, are complaining bitterly about the very necessary and important attack, by the United States and Israel, on Iran. What most people understand is that they are only complaining BECAUSE I DID IT and, if I didn’t do it, they would be screaming — Why didn’t “TRUMP” attack Iran, he should do it, IMMEDIATELY?

    Trump then urged his followers to watch Netanyahu's interview on Fox News, where Hannity asked the Israeli prime minister about the forced-to-act claim.

    "There are people that say, 'Well, the prime minister of Israel dragged Donald Trump into it,'" said Hannity. "As somebody that's been friends with him over 30 years, nobody drags Donald Trump into anything, number one, but I want to get your reaction to that."

    Netanyahu laughed, then said, "Well, you're right. I mean that's — that's ridiculous. Donald Trump is the strongest leader in the world. He does what he thinks is right for America. He does also what he thinks is right for future generations, and frankly, we're partners in that effort."

    The Israeli leader suggested that it was necessary to strike because Iran "started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb programs immune within months. If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future."

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  • Out of order: Courts shouldn’t rule based on ‘trust us’ science Tue, 03 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000


    A training manual for federal judges just ditched its biased chapter on climate change. Good. But the same manual still peddles quackery about how science works — and it risks teaching the judiciary to treat models and “consensus” as proof.

    The “How Science Works” chapter in the “Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence” invites judges to overvalue computer models built on unproven assumptions and to accept “consensus” as evidence even when empirical testing cuts the other way. That is not science. It is a distortion of the scientific method, which demands observation, experimentation, and results that can be challenged and falsified in the real world.

    This is the posture of pseudoscience: conclusions protected by authority and repetition rather than disciplined testing against reality.

    The problem runs deeper than emphasis. In defining hypothesis, theory, and scientific law, the writers omit testing, observation, and experimentation. They also fail to acknowledge that all three can be disproven — even though demonstrating falseness has long been central to scientific progress. Science advances not by protecting favored conclusions but by trying — relentlessly — to break them.

    The chapter even claims that science cannot “disprove hypotheses.” That is historically indefensible. Science has disproven hypotheses repeatedly, and entire revolutions have turned on that process.

    Geocentrism gave way to Copernicus’ heliocentric model. Phrenology, eugenics, spontaneous generation, and miasma theory all enjoyed “consensus” before evidence refuted them. Alfred Wegener’s plate tectonics also met decades of rejection before the evidence won. Consensus delayed the truth. It did not deliver it.

    The chapter also stumbles over prediction. It says prediction is a logical consequence of a hypothesis, “not necessarily what will happen in the future.” That drains prediction of its most important feature: testable claims about what should occur under specified conditions. A hypothesis can be tested against the past as well, but the logic stays the same — it must match reality.

    Then the chapter offers reassurance that reveals the posture: “The fact that there is room for improvement in the process of science does not necessitate distrust of hypotheses that have gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community and about which consensus has been achieved.” In practice, that treats consensus as a shield against contrary evidence — a common ploy among climate alarmists.

    RELATED: Win for kids! Major surgeon group reverses course, comes out against child genital mutilation

    Win for kids! Major surgeon group reverses course, comes out against child genital mutilation Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe via Getty Images

    In places, the chapter contradicts itself, sometimes gesturing at rigor, elsewhere diminishing falsification and redefining key terms. The result is confusion. Its length and muddled definitions do not clarify how science works; they blur it. Worse, they introduce judges to wrongheaded practices — overuse of models and consensus — as if they can settle disputed scientific questions.

    That is not the empirical tradition of Isaac Newton or Marie Curie. It is the posture of pseudoscience: conclusions protected by authority and repetition rather than disciplined testing against reality.

    U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg removed the manual’s climate chapter after objections from state attorneys general and others. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine still hosts the manual — including “How Science Works” — on its website.

    Rosenberg, as head of the Federal Judicial Center, should take the next step and remove this chapter as well. Federal judges and the public they serve deserve a guide to science that prizes evidence over consensus and observation over simulation.

  • When ‘be nice’ becomes the whole ethic, we’re in trouble Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000


    The appeal to pity is the modern left’s favorite fallacy.

    In logic, it is called argumentum ad misericordiam. Instead of showing that a policy is just or true, the speaker points to suffering and insists compassion requires agreement. It works because it weaponizes one of the strongest moral instincts in the American people: mercy.

  • 3 young teenage boys charged as adults for alleged rape of 12-year-old girl in Miami Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:30:00 +0000


    Three young teenage boys have been charged as adults for a heinous crime that has horrified the community in Miami, Florida.

    A 12-year-old girl said she left a friend's home on June 18, 2025, when she was allegedly accosted by three boys.

    'I don't care if they get 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years, 100 years. ... I'm gonna always feel like it's not enough.'

    A 13-year-old boy dragged her to the Green Haven Project community garden in Overtown, according to police.

    Two other boys, ages 12 and 14 years old, allegedly restrained the victim while the 13-year-old sexually battered her. A fourth person witnessed the incident, according to police.

    One of the boys allegedly put rocks in her mouth to keep her from screaming. The children released her after hearing her father calling for his daughter, but the arrest report said the abuse lasted for about 30 minutes.

    Police said they interviewed the witness, whose account corroborated the claims made by the victim. The witness said he did not intervene "because he was outnumbered and was afraid of getting beat up."

    The three boys were initially arrested after the incident, but on Thursday the two younger suspects were booked into the Metro West Detention Center on adult charges. The older boy, who has since turned 15, is also facing adult charges.

    Fifteen-year-old Xavier Tyson has been charged with sexual battery, false imprisonment, and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. Thirteen-year-old Nelson Nunez has been charged with sexual battery on a minor by a minor and kidnapping, while 12-year-old Jusiah Jones has been charged with aggravated battery and false imprisonment.

    Attorneys for Jones and Nunez said they pleaded not guilty and argued that they should not be held in adult jail.

    RELATED: Former reality TV star accused of horrific sex crimes pleads not guilty — by reason of insanity

    The victim's mother, who wants to remain anonymous, is demanding justice for her child.

    "I don't care if they get 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years, 100 years. ... I’m gonna always feel like it’s not enough," she said in an interview with WPLG-TV.

    She also thanked the witness for coming forward.

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  • Bill Gates’ double affair admission: Glenn Beck says he could be the first American jailed over Epstein — here’s why Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000


    Following the Department of Justice’s third and largest Epstein file dump, Bill Gates admitted to having two affairs — one with a Russian bridge player and another with a Russian nuclear physicist.

    These confessions might land the tech billionaire in hotter water than the kind that results from typical cheating scandals, Glenn Beck says.

    “This is not about infidelity,” he says, but rather about a potential “honeypot operation.”

    Gates’ unfaithfulness is neither a “private” nor a “personal” matter, Glenn says, because the bridge player, Mila Antonova, whom Gates admitted to having an affair with, “was financially assisted by Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes.”

    “According to the DOJ released emails, Epstein attempted to use that relationship to pressure Bill Gates. That’s not gossip. That’s leverage,” he explains.

    But there’s another layer that paints an even more compelling picture: “Antonova, the Russian bridge player, she was photographed with Anna Chapman,” who was “part of a Russian spy ring that was rolled up by the FBI in 2010,” Glenn says, adding that Chapman is “the daughter of a former KGB officer [and] deported intelligence asset.”

    The suggestion that these two women are “hanging out” sounds both “dangerous and strategic,” he argues.

    “Because Bill Gates is not just one of the wealthiest men in the world. His foundation influences global health policy. ... His technology platforms, even worse, are embedded in our government systems. He has real relationships tied to military and federal contracts,” Glenn declares. “He’s not a private citizen. He is a national security interest and risk.”

    He then paints a hypothetical but chilling picture: “A wealthy American titan in a compromising relationship with a foreign national, facilitated or financially entangled by a convicted blackmailer with global connections.”

    He asks pointedly: “If you were running an intelligence service in Russia, what would you call that? I would call that a honeypot operation.”

    “If you were looking for leverage over someone with global vaccine influence, agricultural control, networks, data, infrastructure access, advisory roles across all kinds of administrations (his systems are tied into our Pentagon and everything else), you don’t need proof of wrongdoing. You’d only need the threat of exposure,” he adds.

    “This is the convergence of Russian nationals, Epstein leverage attempts, ... known intelligence-linked figures, government and military influence, and financial entanglement. That’s a very wicked brew.”

    While none of this suggests that Gates is guilty of “espionage” or was “knowingly part a foreign plot,” it does suggest something else, Glenn says: “He was in the position where someone could apply pressure.”

    Given Gates’ connections to government, military, the Pentagon, and AI development, the mere possibility that he was susceptible to foreign manipulation could be cause for prosecution, Glenn suggests.

    Since similar scandals have already rocked powerful people in Europe and elsewhere, he wonders if accountability is finally “coming home to America,” where thus far, no elites have faced criminal charges or prosecution for ties to Epstein.

    Will Gates be the first?

    To hear more of Glenn’s analysis, watch the video above.

    Want more from Glenn Beck?

    To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, 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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