Author: Patrick Houck

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has submitted “be ready to deploy” orders for up to 2,000 U.S. troops in response to the intensifying Israel-Hamas war. A Defense official informed Fox News that Austin gave the order over the weekend to prepare service members for deployment to the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal first reported that U.S. troops would serve in various support roles, including explosive ordnance disposal. The Journal noted that troops wouldn’t serve in combat roles and that Austin’s order excluded infantry units. However, the Pentagon has yet to clarify precisely which troops are on standby and the…

An Illinois landlord is in custody this morning for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and two counts related to hate crimes. Joseph Czuba, 71, allegedly knocked on his unsuspecting tenant’s door on Saturday before stabbing a child to death and severely injuring the boy’s mother. Authorities are calling the attack a hate crime, motivated by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. By the time Will County, Illinois, sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found a slightly injured Czuba sitting on the ground outside the residence. Inside the home, they discovered two victims with “multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso, and…

Sir Michael Caine, the world-renowned British actor, announced his retirement Saturday. Caine, 90, who starred in iconic movies beginning in the 1960s, quickly rose to superstardom. A two-time Academy Award winner, he has starred in films collectively earning $7.8 billion worldwide. His credits include “Zulu” (1964), “Alfie” (1966), “The Italian Job” (1969), “Battle of Britain” (1969), “Get Carter” (1971), “The Eagle Has Landed” (1976), “A Bridge Too Far” (1977), “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986), “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992), “The Cider House Rules” (1999), “Batman Begins” (2005), “Children of Men” (2006), “The Dark Knight” (2008), “Inception” (2010), “The Dark Knight…

The Biden administration issued a statement on Thursday advising banks not to take into account an applicant’s immigration status when approving credit. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) told financial institutions in a joint press release that although it is legal to consider an individual’s immigration status while decided whether or not to lend money, excessive consideration could lead to a violation of the law. The claim refers to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, receipt of public assistance or…

Secretary of State Antony Blinken dropped a bombshell on Capitol Hill amid intense fighting around the Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka and chaos in Israel: there is a distinct possibility of another country being invaded in the near future. Azerbaijan’s surprise attack against Armenian separatists seized the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave last month. Now, Azerbaijan is poised to invade Armenia. Armenia has relied on Moscow for protection for decades. On the fringes of the Middle East, the South Caucasus region was responsible for 90% of Soviet oil production. The Kremlin’s failure to prevent a more favorable outcome for Armenia seems to have…

An interview Thursday night between Sean Hannity and White House hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy quickly went off the rails. Ramaswamy appeared on Hannity’s Fox News program two days after his interview with Tucker Carlson was published. During the exchange, Hannity asked the entrepreneur and presidential candidate to clarify his statement about the Republican presidential primary field. In his interview with Carlson, Ramaswamy lamented that GOP candidates were focusing too much on foreign affairs rather than on the interests of the United States at home. The fireworks display started shortly after that: https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1712711898960191818 Per Insider: Hannity made the comments after he pressed…

Fairfax County School Board Member Abrar Omeish put liberal intolerance on full display during a school board meeting Thursday night. The Yale-educated Democrat broke into a minutes-long diatribe following a moment of silence held by her colleagues for the victims of Hamas terrorism and the innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives lost. https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1712639236388602230 Thursday wasn’t the first time Omeish disrupted school board proceedings. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, she opposed a moment of silence for the victims, implying it was racist and neglected to acknowledge “state-sponsored traumas” inflicted by the U.S. government. As The Daily Wire reported…

Israel has warned 1.1 million Gaza Strip residents to relocate within 24 hours, ahead of an expected ground assault to root out Hamas terrorists in the densely populated Palestinian enclave. Hamas officials are advising Palestinians to defy the sweeping evacuation order. U.N. officials are saying a mass evacuation is “impossible” and urging Israel to reconsider. https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1712767328914436499 The Washington Post reports on the deteriorating situation: Israel has indicated that it is readying a ground invasion of the besieged enclave, a move aimed at ending the rule of Hamas, the militant group that controls the area and which launched an unprecedented attack…

The House Republicans’ nominee for speaker, Steve Scalise, has withdrawn his name from consideration. The New York Times has more on the latest updates involving the Louisiana congressman: Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana on Thursday withdrew from consideration for the speakership he was on the cusp of claiming after hard-line Republicans balked at rallying around their party’s chosen candidate, leaving the House leaderless and the G.O.P. in chaos. After being narrowly nominated for speaker during a Tuesday closed-door secret-ballot contest among House Republicans, Mr. Scalise, their No. 2 leader, found himself far from the 217 votes needed to be elected on the…

The Biden administration ignited controversy last month when it released $6 billion in Iranian oil profits to secure the release of five American citizens imprisoned by the Islamic Republic. However, the U.S. and Qatar have now decided to block Tehran’s access to the funds. Despite restrictions on the money, critics believed unfreezing it would help fund Tehran’s proxy wars. Iran has long supported the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group Hamas. Hamas and Hezbollah claim this week’s deadly attack against Israel was planned with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Tehran has dismissed those claims. An investigation by the intelligence community is ongoing.…