Hostage Crisis Allegedly Involving Father And Son Holding Two Federal Employees At Gunpoint Ends After Hourslong Standoff

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Two U.S. Forest Service employees were held hostage for hours throughout Thursday night in a Northern California national forest.

The federal employees were freed early Friday after being zip-tied and held at gunpoint for roughly 15 hours inside a trailer in Northern California’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest, The New York Times reported, citing Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue. The hostage situation unfolded at a campground near Gumboot Lake in the forest. Authorities arrested the suspects, Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his 23-year-old son, Phoenix Henrichsen, after the employees were released unharmed, the outlet reported.

“Both are resting and will need some time to process this experience,” said Brian Tosh, the F.B.I.’s acting special agent in Sacramento, according to the outlet.

The motive of the hostage situation remains unclear, and law enforcement is still investigating the situation, the outlet reported, citing Tosh.

“I am proud of the immediate and professional work of these elite FBI teams to assist our partners for a safe and successful resolution,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post to X.

(Read more from “Hostage Crisis Allegedly Involving Father And Son Holding Two Federal Employees At Gunpoint Ends After Hourslong Standoff” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Report: Trans Dem Senate Hopeful Used Fake AI Photo to Sell Memoir

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Transgender Democrat Senate candidate Ashley Webb, who is running to replace scandal-plagued Graham Platner in Maine, used a flattering artificial-intelligence image of a young woman to promote his memoir, according to a report published Friday.

The report said Webb, a male living as a female, shared an AI-generated image of a woman in a purple dress to advertise the book I Am Ashley, an image the outlet noted looks nothing like the candidate.

Webb is one of several Democrats vying for the party’s Senate nomination in Maine. He identifies as intersex. On the Amazon author page, he calls himself a “whistleblower” and “survivor” who turned “her truth into testimony.”

The candidate appeared Thursday night at a News Center Maine debate alongside seven other Democrats. Asked what qualified him for the Senate, Webb pointed to some creative output.

“I ran for office several times, didn’t win but did run. But I’m a songwriter and I write my own books, and I suppose my transparency,” Webb said. (Read more from “Report: Trans Dem Senate Hopeful Used Fake AI Photo to Sell Memoir” HERE)

When Lawmakers Go Missing, Don’t Blame The Public For Wondering What Happened

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The nation’s capital was rattled following the weeks-long disappearance of Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell and his apparent reappearance alongside the sudden death of Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

In both instances, online rumors and conspiracy theories took hold, with thousands of Americans wondering exactly what happened to their elected officials. But as Americans searched for answers, Washington insiders continued to write them off as conspiracy theorists, a prime example of the disconnect between the political establishment and the rest of the country.

Political pundits across the spectrum used these flashpoints to argue for term limits, age limits, a “25th Amendment” for Congress, or a slew of other reforms, but at its core, the issue is a lack of transparency and the continued underestimation of the average American’s intelligence and understanding of their own political system.

For decades, lawmakers far past their competence threshold have been sequestered in public office by their own insatiable thirst for power or by that of their staff.

Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, missed nearly three months of legislative session due to a severe case of shingles, Republican Texas Representative Kay Granger was discovered to have been living in an assisted living facility due to “dementia issues” after msissing over five months of votes, and Republican New Jersey Representative Tom Kean recently missed more than 140 roll call votes with no explanation, only to later say he was undergoing treatment for depression in a speech on the floor of the House. (Read more from “When Lawmakers Go Missing, Don’t Blame The Public For Wondering What Happened” HERE)

Iran Reportedly Enlisting Insurgent Group To Cripple Crucial Flow Of Commerce If US Escalates Attacks

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Iran has reportedly said it will enlist the help of a terrorist group to further constrain global shipping if the U.S. military attacks Iranian energy infrastructure.

Iran has instructed Yemen’s Houthi rebels to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure, Reuters reported, citing Iranian and regional sources familiar with the communications. The report came as the U.S. military escalated its operations with repeated airstrikes on critical infrastructure, including highways, bridges and energy sites, according to the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.

The Islamic Republic’s leadership already sent the request to the Yemeni Houthis, Reuters reported, citing two senior Iranian ‌sources and a regional source who spoke anonymously.

President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iranian energy infrastructure, according to an interview with Fox News’s Trey Yingst. It remains unclear if this is the reason the Iranians issued the request to the Houthis.

“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said.

(Read more from “Iran Reportedly Enlisting Insurgent Group To Cripple Crucial Flow Of Commerce If US Escalates Attacks” HERE)

DHS: More Than 250,000 Noncitizens Are Registered To Vote In Four States

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There are more than 250,000 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada, according to newly released data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

President Donald Trump addressed the nation Thursday night, announcing the release of a tranche of election material, including how China carried out “what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files.”

It was also announced that the DHS reviewed public voter files in “states that have not utilized the SAVE system” and found “over 250,000 non-citizens are illegally registered to vote.” The DHS says that “election officials in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada have been notified” and that the department is expanding its investigation into other states as well.

DHS also pointed out states that have been “proactive” and “utilized” the SAVE database, which allows local, state, and federal government agencies to verify an individual’s immigration status. The Trump administration granted states free and direct access to the database. Those states include Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, Idaho, Alabama, Missouri, Louisiana, and Kansas — all of which found both noncitizens and deceased persons on their voter rolls, according to DHS. In those states deceased registrants numbered more than 400,000, and nearly 30,000 noncitizens were illegally registered, according to DHS.

Noncitizens registering to vote and voting in federal elections is already illegal, though there is no real enforcement mechanism. Currently, prospective voters check off a small square box on a federal registration form attesting under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens. In other words, the honor system. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — which Trump urged Congress to pass in his Thursday night speech — would add teeth to this largely toothless law by requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. (Read more from “DHS: More Than 250,000 Noncitizens Are Registered To Vote In Four States” HERE)

Cops Arrest Armed Man At US Capitol Barricade, Police Say

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A Mississippi man carrying a firearm was arrested Monday at the North Barricade of the U.S. Capitol, police said.

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) identified the man as 67-year-old Wendell J. Royster from Columbia, Mississippi, and said he drove to the Capitol’s North Barricade on Constitution Avenue at 11:22 a.m. in a rented vehicle before asking an officer for direction to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a USCP press release.

The officer allegedly saw a handgun on Royster’s lap and ordered him to put his hands up as a team of USCP officers surrounded the car. He was arrested without incident and has been charged with “Carrying a Pistol without a License and No Permit,” police said.

USCP confirmed the arrest to the Daily Caller. Footage of the scene allegedly depicts yellow police tape surrounding a gray Ford Bronco Sport with Florida tags and the area surrounding it, according to NBC4.

(Read more from “Cops Arrest Armed Man At US Capitol Barricade, Police Say” HERE)

Trump ousts Teleprompter Operator Gambling on His Own Words… only After He Amassed Staggering Six-Figure Sum

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President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator has been sidelined from his White House role after federal investigators discovered he was using the President’s speeches to rake in as much as $100,000 in winnings.

The breach was confirmed in a press briefing today by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who returned to the podium for the very first time since her maternity leave.

Facing a barrage of questions from a packed press room, Leavitt did not mince words about the President’s personal reaction to the betrayal, declaring that the President believes the situation is ‘painfully unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace.’

The scandal centers on Gabriel Perez, a key technical assistant who has managed Trump’s teleprompter scripts since his first presidential campaign in 2016.

Perez allegedly exploited his early access to upcoming speech drafts to place highly lucrative wagers on Kalshi’s ‘Mentions’ market, according to federal watchdogs at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. (Read more from “Trump ousts Teleprompter Operator Gambling on His Own Words… only After He Amassed Staggering Six-Figure Sum” HERE)

Trump Hyped 20 Companies Days After Buying Stock as Democrats Cry ‘Textbook Corruption’

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Donald Trump repeatedly touted companies or their products days after he purchased large amounts of their stocks, according to a new analysis.

The President has broken with past leaders and opted against putting his assets into a blind trust, meaning he can see what stocks are being traded on behalf of his money managers.

The structure disallows Trump or his family from directing trades, but it does give the Republican visibility into what he owns.

And according to a CNN analysis, the President has promoted over 20 companies on Truth Social just days after purchasing their shares.

At times his promotions came paired with announcements that the government would be taking action on issues that could benefit the firms, the analysis states. (Read more from “Trump Hyped 20 Companies Days After Buying Stock as Democrats Cry ‘Textbook Corruption’” HERE)

Marco Rubio: America Will No Longer Ignore the Threat of Left-Wing Violence

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For far too long our counterterrorism doctrine has had a blind spot — a blind spot when it comes to extremist violence from the political left.

Even today, the very idea that far-left terrorism could be a serious threat is treated as a right-wing fever dream, or worse, as a dangerous fascist conspiracy. It’s treated this way by many in the press, by many in academia and our universities, and by many of our legacy institutions. You will no doubt see the dogma rear its head in the coverage of this very conference.

In spite of the clear and the undeniable reality, in spite of the objective numbers and statistics, in spite of the fact that in this room today there are representatives from across the political spectrum, we will hear this organized — that this kind of organized violence and terror will be dismissed. It will be dismissed as a partisan fiction.

A whole industry grew up in our countries around the study of extremism. We have think tanks and fellowships and journals and consultancies, with the unspoken understanding among them that the only kind of political violence that was a true threat to our system — I’m sorry — that only one kind of political violence was a true threat to the system.

A bomb planted by a neo-Nazi group was a nefarious and murderous act of evil. It is. (Read more from “Marco Rubio: America Will No Longer Ignore the Threat of Left-Wing Violence” HERE)

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Pete Hegseth Demands Troops Prove Their Manhood in Wild New ‘High-T Department of War’ Order

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The Secretary of War has announced a health initiative that will introduce mandatory annual testosterone screenings for active–duty US service members aged 30 and older, framing it as a way to keep troops on the ‘leading edge of lethality.’

Pete Hegseth unveiled the policy in a video posted to his official X account with the caption ‘The High–T Department of War.’

In his speech, he described the initiative as a ‘modern step’ toward maximizing the biological readiness and long–term health of America’s combat forces.

A source close to Hegseth says the policy was a response to something called ‘operator syndrome’ – a complex, interrelated accumulation of physiological and psychological health issues – including endocrine disruption, chronic joint pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression and more.

This syndrome is often experienced by special operations forces and long–serving combat veterans after years of deployments and chronic stress.

Under the new directive, testosterone level assessments will be integrated into the military’s standard annual periodic health assessments. (Read more from “Pete Hegseth Demands Troops Prove Their Manhood in Wild New ‘High-T Department of War’ Order” HERE)