Conflict In Iran Forces Airline To Hike Checked Baggage Fees

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Travelers flying United Airlines will pay more to check their luggage starting Friday as surging fuel costs from the war in Iran ripple through the airline industry.

The carrier announced a $10 increase on first and second checked bags for tickets purchased on or after April 3, affecting routes within the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Latin America, according to CNBC. A first bag now runs $45 if paid in advance and $50 within 24 hours of departure. Second bags climb to $55 prepaid or $60 at the last minute. Third bags jumped $50, bringing the total to $200.

United is the second domestic carrier to raise baggage prices in under a week. JetBlue bumped its fees by as much as $9 on March 30, telling the Associated Press that charging more for optional add-ons helps keep base ticket prices competitive.

The fee increases come as jet fuel prices have nearly doubled since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28. The average gallon of jet fuel across four major U.S. hubs reached $4.88 on Thursday, up from $2.50 before the conflict, according to data from energy intelligence firm Argus Media cited by CNBC. United does not hedge its fuel costs, leaving it fully exposed to volatile spot prices, according to AeroTime.

(Read more from “Conflict In Iran Forces Airline To Hike Checked Baggage Fees” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Israel First Has Severed MAGA

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In July of 2023, long before it became clear that Israel would become a defining topic of MAGA 2.0 and the Trump presidency, Tucker Carlson gave a speech at a Turning Point USA event when it was still uncontroversial for him to be there.

“What are the crimes that are punished?” Carlson asked the crowd. “Thought crimes. Thinking the ‘wrong’ thing. Having the ‘wrong’ beliefs. Saying unapproved words. And those words are always true.”

“How do you know what’s true? That’s a great question,” Carlson continued. “Who are the thought criminals and what are they saying?”

Tucker Carlson has certainly become the thought criminal he presciently described over two and a half years ago. And he’s perhaps committed the greatest sin of all in America: telling the truth when powerful people are not.

At the time of his speech, Oct. 7 hadn’t happened, Charlie Kirk was still alive and leading TPUSA, and Carlson had not yet campaigned alongside Donald Trump.

Fast forward to January 2025 and Trump — with the support of Carlson and a bipartisan coalition of other independent thinkers, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Marjorie Taylor Greene — arrived back at the White House with truly a once in a generation opportunity and the political capital to do the radically unthinkable in Washington: focus on America and the problems that ail us here. (Read more from “Israel First Has Severed MAGA” HERE)

F-15E Shot Down Over Iran, Search and Rescue Underway: Reports

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By Breitbart. A U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle jet has been shot down, and both American and Iranian forces are scrambling to find the crew first, unconfirmed reports claim. . .

One crew member from that downed F-15 has been recovered by U.S. forces, broadcaster CBS News claimed it was told by “U.S. Officials”.

The search and rescue mission to recover the second crew member is ongoing. The BBC says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told them “The President had been briefed”.

Other than that it’s still very unclear what happened and how: Leavitt’s reported remark is the first time a named U.S. official has acknowledged anything has happened at all. . .

While Iran asserts daily to have shot down U.S. fighters and sunk American warships, claims made by Iranian state media on Friday morning may contain some truth, unnamed “sources” within the U.S. government are reported to have said. Broadcaster CNN claims three officials said an F-15E had been shot down over Iran on Friday morning, while The Guardian cites “US officials familiar”. (Read more from “F-15E Shot Down Over Iran, Search and Rescue Underway: Reports” HERE)

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Trump briefed on downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran, search and rescue efforts underway

By Fox News. Reports that a second ⁠U.S. Air Force combat ‌plane was shot down Friday in ⁠the Persian Gulf ​region are not accurate.

An A-10 Warthog attack caught “enemy fire” while a rescue operation for the U.S. crew member took place, a well-placed source told Fox News.

The New York Times reported the aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf and that its lone pilot was rescued.

An Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran Friday and one pilot was rescued. A search for a second crew member was underway. . .

Iran is ramping up the recruitment of children as young as the age of 12 into military-linked roles tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to new reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. (Read more from “Trump briefed on downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran, search and rescue efforts underway” HERE)

Photo credit: Airman Magazine Flickr

C.I.A. Covered Up Cancer Cures — Document Claims Agency Hid Hope for Victims

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A recently surfaced CIA document claims the intelligence agency reviewed Cold War-era research that hinted at potential treatments for cancer 75 years ago – and kept the remarkable report classified for decades, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Now, the outraged public is speaking out and alleging a cruel government cover-up.

The document, which was produced in 1951, discusses an article published in the Soviet scientific journal Priroda by Professor V.V. Alpatov that examines similarities between parasitic worms and malignant tumors.

The Soviet scientist and his colleagues reportedly believed cancerous growths and parasites accumulate large reserves of the stored energy glycogen and flourish under nearly identical metabolic conditions.

Their research cites experiments that show certain chemical compounds could actually target both ailments, including the drug Myracyl D. Other substances, such as Guanozolo – a guanine-like molecule – appeared to interfere with the production of nucleic acid, the chemical building blocks of DNA and RNA, which is essential for the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. (Read more from “C.I.A. Covered Up Cancer Cures — Document Claims Agency Hid Hope for Victims” HERE)

Patriots Coach Says His Player Must Be “Educated” to “Be Inclusive” After Posting Bible Verse in Support of Christian NBA Player

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. . .Yesterday, we reported that the Chicago Bulls booted a vocal Christian player, Jaden Ivey, after he posted a video discussing how people get canceled and censored for disagreeing with gay “Pride” events.

NFL player TreVeyon Henderson, who is known for regularly posting Bible verses to social media, saw the news and responded to it with a retweet and another Bible verse:

Instead of defending his player’s right to religion and freedom of expression, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel (gently) threw Treyveon under the woke bus.

He praised Treyveon’s character and attitude, and said he appreciates Treyveon’s faith, but then Vrabel said this:

I want them to be able to express what they believe … but also want to make sure that they’re educated. We want to be inclusive … We represent the team and we represent the organization.

(Read more from “Patriots Coach Says His Player Must Be “Educated” to “Be Inclusive” After Posting Bible Verse in Support of Christian NBA Player” HERE)

Common Drinking Habit May Quietly Triple Risk of Advanced Liver Condition

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Even occasional binge drinking could triple the risk of a serious liver condition, a new study suggests.

Just one episode per month was associated with a threefold increase in advanced liver fibrosis in people with underlying metabolic liver disease, according to research from the University of Southern California (USC).

Advanced liver fibrosis is a condition that occurs in the advanced stage of chronic liver disease, marked by a buildup of significant scar tissue due to chronic, long-term inflammation, according to the American Liver Foundation.

Consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time is known to cause liver damage and inflammation, according to medical experts.

“Patients often ask how much they can drink,” lead investigator Brian P. Lee, MD, hepatologist and liver transplant specialist with Keck Medicine of USC, told Fox News Digital. “In the liver world, we’re used to thinking about this as an average — for example, we categorize patients based on alcohol consumption per week.” (Read more from “Common Drinking Habit May Quietly Triple Risk of Advanced Liver Condition” HERE)

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Mamdani’s Response to 7-Month-Old Shot Dead Sparks Firestorm Over What He Blames

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism from local politicians and onlookers on social media over comments he made that critics say places blame on guns rather than criminals in an incident involving the shooting death of a 7-month-old child in Brooklyn.

“This is not our first family to know this pain,” Mamdani said in response to a 7-month-old baby girl, Kaori Patterson-Moore, who was killed by a stray bullet on Wednesday afternoon when a gunman on a moped opened fire on a Brooklyn street in a suspected gang-related incident.

“Too many children have never grown up into becoming adults. To parents who’ve had to bury those they love most. We cannot accept it as normal in our city. We cannot grow numb to this pain, and today is a devastating reminder of just how much more work there is to be done… to combat gun violence across the city.”

The clip, along with other comments by Mamdani, have sparked criticism from local politicians, experts and onlookers who say the mayor is blaming guns instead of criminals and implementing policies that embolden those criminals.

“Literally anything but blaming the criminals who our system releases onto our streets repeatedly, over and over again, with no consequences,” NYC Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted on X. “Absolute disgrace.”

(Read more from “Mamdani’s Response to 7-Month-Old Shot Dead Sparks Firestorm Over What He Blames” HERE)

The Iran Ceasefire Talks Have Imploded

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Operation Epic Fury will continue, as the Iranians have rejected all US demands, even refusing to meet with Trump officials in Islamabad. This conflicts with Trump’s claims that the supposedly new regime is more transparent and open to a deal. The Iranian government is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. You can’t trust them. The Obama team did, and they got played like a fiddle. For now, the ceasefire talks have collapsed (via WSJ):

The current round of efforts by regional countries led by Pakistan to reach a cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran has reached a dead end, mediators said Friday.

Iran has officially told the mediators it isn’t willing to meet U.S. officials in Islamabad in the coming days and that U.S. demands are unacceptable, the mediators said.

Turkey and Egypt are still pushing to find a way forward and are considering new venues for the talks, including the Qatari capital Doha, or Istanbul, along with fresh proposals to overcome the deadlock, the mediators said.

(Read more from “The Iran Ceasefire Talks Have Imploded” HERE)

Two Men Allegedly Burn Down Catholic Church In Revenge Plot Ahead Of Holy Week

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The Department of Justice announced Thursday that it charged two men in Columbia, Louisiana, with arson after they allegedly burned down a Catholic church ahead of Holy Week.

Authorities found that Anthony Dillon Jr., 19, and James Dale Smith IV, 21, broke into a church March 27 and set it ablaze, according to an official press release. Dillon Jr. and Smith were allegedly stealing power from the St. John’s Chapel for their home. After being confronted by church officials, and a separate man whom the two sold a broken television to, the men broke into the church, according to authorities.

Dillon Jr. and Smith allegedly broke a church window with a baseball bat and ransacked the building. The DOJ report also alleges that they stole at least three televisions and a sound system before setting the church on fire.

If found guilty, the two men face a minimum of five years in federal prison and a maximum charge of 20 years with a fine of $250,000. (Read more from “Two Men Allegedly Burn Down Catholic Church In Revenge Plot Ahead Of Holy Week” HERE)

Arming The Iranian People Against The Mullahs Is The Dumbest Idea Ever

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President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that there are two or three weeks left in the war against Iran and that the regime is “really no longer a threat.” What exactly will be done during, and after, those remaining two to three weeks is unclear.

But, for now, the economically vital Strait of Hormuz remains shut, and over the past few weeks, the U.S. has transferred thousands of ground troops to the region. Given the administration’s shifting goalposts and unclear messaging over the last few weeks, escalation is still not outside the realm of possibility. And any further escalation of the conflict would probably mean boots on the ground.

But after decades of costly, ultimately futile wars in the same part of the globe, the prospect of another ground conflict in the region is deeply unpopular with most Americans. Such a move, if taken, would almost certainly tank President Donald Trump’s already wavering approval rating, sink Republican prospects for the midterms and even 2028, and mar his legacy with a long Middle East war he promised to avoid.

In light of that, our other options are to continue the air and naval war alone without a ground element, or, as some have suggested, to begin arming the Iranian people (or other groups like the Kurds and Azerbaijanis) so they can overthrow the regime themselves. Even if the U.S. stops its direct military actions against Iran in the coming weeks as Trump suggested, the administration could still arm and train Iranians to destabilize the regime from the inside.

Reagan admin veteran (as if he’d ever let you forget it) and neocon political commentator Mark Levin emphatically endorsed the latter option Tuesday. (Read more from “Arming The Iranian People Against The Mullahs Is The Dumbest Idea Ever” HERE)