JONATHAN TURLEY: How Gov Shapiro became a squatter and got sued by his neighbors

Poet Robert Frost once said that “good fences make good neighbors.” He apparently never met Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is being sued by his neighbors for effectively squatting on their land and then seizing it to install a fence along his $830,500 private residence in suburban Philadelphia. The litigation is likely to put Shapiro in a much different light for many who think of him as a 2028 contender.

The irony of the case is crushing. Shapiro opposed Trump’s plan to build a wall along the southern border, declaring that he would sue before a dime of Pennsylvania money went to pay for it. He apparently adopted a similar approach to his neighbors in Pennsylvania. The difference is that he built the wall, but without giving his neighbors a dime.

Shapiro has long wanted a 2,900-square-foot parcel of land located between the two homes in Abington, Montgomery County. The problem is that his neighbors like their land and want to keep it. They turned down multiple offers from Shapiro.

That is when the governor decided to build it anyway.

GIVE THE GOVERNMENT AN INCH AND THEY’LL SEIZE YOUR $200K HOME FOR A $2K DEBT

Jeremy and Simone Mock allege that Shapiro effectively became a squatter by using the state police to bar them from their own property and then building an eight-foot security fence.

After the Mocks sued, Shapiro countersued, claiming that the land was now his through “adverse possession.” He basically claimed that they abandoned the land despite their repeatedly trying to gain entry and repeatedly turning down his offers to buy it.

Welcome to the world of adverse possession. It is a doctrine dating back to 2000 B.C., and the Code of Hammurabi, allowing people to acquire title to land abandoned by owners over a long period of time. A really long time.

From the Romans to the British to the earliest days of the American Republic, adverse possession has been recognized as a valid means of acquiring title. In the United States. It was particularly valuable after people acquired or claimed vast tracts of land out West, only to leave them undeveloped and unoccupied. As settlers moved West, they often cultivated the land, built structures, and lived openly for years before the original owners reclaimed it. Adverse possession was an efficient rule that allowed land to be put to productive use.

Under Pennsylvania law, you must prove actual, continuous, exclusive, visible, notorious, distinct and hostile possession of the land for 21 years.  Shapiro clearly has the hostile part down, but the Mocks are claiming that he effectively used state police to bar them from their land and then claimed that they abandoned it.

Each side is portraying the other as dishonest and opportunistic.

In their complaint, the Mocks allege that the Shapiros made “previous acknowledgments that the Mock Property was owned by no one other than the Mocks.” They document that the Shapiros did not want to pay the asking price, so the Mocks offered to lease the land to them. The Shapiros allegedly agreed but then backed out.

MICHIGAN FAMILY SAYS COUNTY SEIZED HOME OVER TAX BILL THEY DIDN’T OWE — CASE NOW HEADS TO THE SUPREME COURT

The Mocks declare, “what followed was an outrageous abuse of power by the sitting Governor of Pennsylvania and its former Attorney General.” Shapiro declared the property was his.

The Mocks objected that they had been paying taxes to the state on the disputed property for nine years.

The Shapiros claim that from 2003 to 2025, they mowed the lawn, cleared leaves, and removed other debris from the land as if it were their own. Accordingly, they claim that the 21-year period has passed and with it the title to the land. They further allege that, after buying the property in April 2017, the Mocks did not claim the land or challenge the location of an existing fence. However, they did so in October 2025.

Shapiro maintains that the Mocks never even knew the property was theirs until he informed them of the results of a recent survey.

The fascinating element is the use of state troopers to keep the Mocks off their land. The complaint even shows a picture of two troopers, stating, “these members of the State Police are on the Mock Property. Behind the officers are the arborvitae that the Shapiros planted on the Mock Property without permission and over the Mocks’ express objections.”

With the required 21 years only barely passed, any period in which the Mocks contested the possession could unravel the adverse possession claim. In the meantime, few people are likely to be sympathetic with the Shapiros taking property from a neighbor. Adverse possession rarely sits well with people, but it is more palatable when the owner has been absent and dilatory.

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Here, the owners are very much present and vocal.

The optics are also worsened by the fact that the state has been struggling to address a squatting crisis where people occupy other people’s homes and then refuse to leave during years of litigation. Shapiro is accused of being a squatter with a state trooper contingent to back him up. It is not clear what would be worse for Shapiro to lose or to win in taking his neighbor’s property without compensation.

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The dispute has already made its way into the political arena, where Shapiro is running for reelection. One of his opponents, Stacy Garrity, posted a Valentine’s Day message on social media with Shapiro’s face that said: “I love you more than I love my neighbor’s yard.”

The fact is that there are credible arguments on both sides of this dispute. For Shapiro, the question is whether he can afford to win.

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BROADCAST BIAS: Networks hide the ‘M’ word after Muslim terror attack

Journalists inside our broadcast networks have a sensitivity to any criticism of radical Islam, bred by their loathing of conservatives. The term “Islamophobia” is on their lips when anyone recalls anything from 9/11 to people chanting, “Death to America.” When a violent or potentially event unfolds, they’re hoping the assailant isn’t Muslim, as happened after an attempted terror attack this week.

When Muslim Army doctor Nidal Hasan shot up Fort Hood in 2009, killing 13, Newsweek’s Evan Thomas proclaimed on televised pundit roundtable: “I cringe that he’s a Muslim. I mean, because it inflames all the fears. I think he’s probably just a nut case. But with that label attached to him, it will get the right wing going.” NPR’s Nina Totenberg chimed in: “It really is tragic that he was a Muslim.”

That reflex certainly applied to the March 7 protests outside Gracie Mansion, where New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani lives. Two Muslim teenagers turned up at an anti-Islam protest with homemade bombs, and the broadcast networks were extremely reluctant to describe them with the “M word.”

On Saturday’s “World News Tonight,” on ABC, anchor Linsey Davis was brief, describing “two people arrested after a suspicious device went off during an anti-Muslim protest here in New York. The protests outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s residence, prompting counter-protesters to show up as well. Two were arrested for allegedly throwing what is believed to be a smoke bomb. No injuries reported.” Thrown by whom? The anchor didn’t specify. And it certainly didn’t turn out to be a “smoke bomb.” It was a potential mass casualty event.

CNN BOTCHES NEW YORK TERRORIST ATTACK COVERAGE, FORCED TO ISSUE MULTIPLE CORRECTIONS

On Sunday morning, ABC’s “Good Morning America” was even vaguer, with Gio Benitez reporting, “the FBI’s joint terrorism task force is now investigating suspicious devices thrown during a protest as possible acts of terrorism.” Here again, it’s a maddeningly passive phrasing of “devices thrown.” Thrown by whom?

Later in the show, ABC’s Janai Norman recounted: “Police say two suspicious devices were found. Jars filled with nuts, bolts and screws, and a hobby fuse. They say one protest of about twenty people was organized by far-right, anti-immigrant figure Jake Lang. About 125 people were part of the counter-protest.”

So, one side is “far-right” and “anti-immigrant,” and the other can’t be identified with an ideological or religious affiliation. That report was so vague you might think the Lang group threw the bombs.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS ON MAMDANI OVER REPORTS HIS WIFE LIKED PRO-OCTOBER 7TH POSTS: ‘THIS IS WHO THEY ARE’

NBC “Sunday Today” host Willie Geist at least seemed to get the targeting right: the “incendiary devices” were thrown “towards a small group of anti-Islam protesters led by a right-wing influencer.”

On Sunday night’s “CBS Evening News,” anchor Jericka Duncan again meandered around it: “Tonight, the FBI is investigating two men after an explosive device with bolts and screws was thrown into a crowd. It happened in New York City on Saturday during a protest that turned violent outside the mayor’s official residence.” Who turned it violent?

CBS reporter Shanelle Kaul identified Mamdani as a Muslim, but not the assailants. They were just “two men,” she repeated.  Viewers could get a clue when the teens were identified as Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, but Kaul blamed the incident on the “anti-Islam demonstration led by Jake Lang … a pardoned U.S. Capitol insurrectionist who has frequently sought out political confrontations in the months after President Trump gave him clemency.” Lang served four years in prison after wielding a baseball bat on January 6.

SUSPECT IN NYC TERROR PROBE PLANNED ATTACK ‘BIGGER THAN THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING,’ PROSECUTORS SAY

On Monday morning, ABC’s Aaron Katersky again tagged right-wing extremists. The bombs were thrown “during the chaotic, dueling protests that were started by far-right provocateur Jake Lang under the banner, ‘Stop the Islamic takeover of New York City’ that Mamdani denounced as ‘rooted in bigotry and racism.’” Katersky then added the bomb plotters “told investigators they had watched ISIS propaganda videos and were there to defend Muslims.”

On Monday’s “Today” program on NBC, reporter Sam Brock relayed that “both men allegedly made pro-ISIS statements during their arrest,” but Brock tied the crowds to WABC’s “polarizing talk show host” Sid Rosenberg for calling Mamdani “a jihadist, before later apologizing.” So, it’s not “polarizing” or “bigoted” to favor ISIS and want Jews dead?

So, one side is “far-right” and “anti-immigrant,” and the other can’t be identified with an ideological or religious affiliation. 

It didn’t improve as the story unfolded. CNN had to pull down a ludicrously florid tweet on Monday about the bomb-plotters, that “Two Pennsylvania teenagers” could have come to New York “for a normal day enjoying the city’s abnormally warm weather.” This inspired a wave of satires.

On Tuesday night, CNN primetime host Abby Phillip — followed minutes later by commentator Ana Navarro — wrongly suggested the target of the bombs was Mayor Mamdani. CNN reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere also wrongly tweeted Mamdani was a target. So much for “Facts First” CNN.

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By Wednesday night, Phillip offered a rare on-air correction. On Wednesday’s “CBS Evening News,” anchor Tony Dokoupil offered a story on “two heroic New York City Police officers who were just steps away from a smoking improvised bomb on Saturday, an attempted terror attack, according to the FBI.” Jericka Duncan told the story of Aaron Edwards and Luis Navarro jumping into the breach to prevent a deadly bomb explosion.

Duncan explained, “Chief Edwards says the path to this moment started with the 9/11 attacks.” Edwards said, “I saw just police and first responders rushing to save people, and that inspired me to take the test.” But even in this cop-honoring story, the angle of Islamic radicalism just hung in the background. The “M-Word” didn’t emerge.

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These cringing journalists have long assumed that Americans (and especially conservatives) aren’t bright enough to think with nuance, that there are many innocent Muslim Americans who have no motivation toward or connection to terrorism. That’s why they have to skip over troubling facts.

That bias by omission extends to Mayor Mamdani’s record of extremist sentiments on Israel, and recent reports that Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji “liked” social-media posts celebrating the slaughter of innocent civilians by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The broadcast networks skipped that, endorsing the mayor’s spin that she’s a “private person.” These two are somehow not “far-left” or “bigoted” or extremist.

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Give the government an inch and they’ll seize your $200k home for a $2k debt

Local governments have a nasty habit of taking everything you’ve got and leaving you dry. That’s how Isabella County, Mich., treated the Pung family, whose case was heard on Wednesday, March 11, by the United States Supreme Court. The county foreclosed on the Pung family home for a tax debt of only $2,000. The kicker? Both the state’s Tax Tribunal and its Court of Appeals ruled that the Pungs didn’t even owe that tax in the first place. The response from the local tax assessor: “I don’t care.” The county took title to the Pungs’ home and auctioned it off for a fraction of its full value.

The Pungs’ lawsuit doesn’t focus on whether the tax was actually owed. Instead, the case addresses what the county must do after it takes someone’s entire house over a paltry 2,000 bucks. The home itself was worth about $200,000 — 100 times the amount of the tax debt. But the county hawked the property at a fire-sale auction for just $76,000, deducted the $2,000 debt, and returned the excess $74,000 to the Pungs. That means that about $118,000 of the Pungs’ equity was just wiped out.

Well — not quite. The auction purchaser quickly flipped the property for the $195,000 it was actually worth. For those keeping score: The government gets its $2,000, some private investor gets windfall profits, and the Pungs get shafted.

At oral argument, several justices expressed incredulity about the fairness of taking an entire home over such a trivial debt. But this is not the first time Michigan counties have taken the whole farm over small potatoes.

JACKSON-KAVANAUGH TENSIONS SURFACE IN CANDID EXCHANGE OVER SUPREME COURT ‘SHADOW DOCKET’

For example, Wayne County took a home owned by Erica Perez after she accidentally underpaid her 2014 property taxes by $144. Other than that one minor oversight, the Perez family had paid their taxes in full every year from when they purchased the property in 2013 until the county foreclosed on it in 2017. They even tried to pay their 2018 taxes, only to be told they no longer owned the home. They hadn’t realized that, because the government sent notice to the wrong address. The county then sold the property for $110,000 and kept every penny. The Perezes were left with nothing.

Oakland County took Uri Rafaeli’s rental property after a slight miscalculation resulted in his underpayment of $8.41. That is not a misprint: his home was seized over a debt of eight dollars and 41 cents. That’s less than the price of a Chipotle burrito.

When Rafaeli’s case reached the Michigan Supreme Court in 2019, Justice Richard Bernstein could hardly believe his ears: “You have a situation where people owed eight dollars, and they lost their house. How is that equitable?”

MICHIGAN FAMILY SAYS COUNTY SEIZED HOME OVER TAX BILL THEY DIDN’T OWE — CASE NOW HEADS TO THE SUPREME COURT

In another case, Sixth Circuit Judge Raymond Kethledge put an even finer point on it: “In some legal precincts, that sort of behavior is called theft.”

Rafaeli’s case was a landmark in Michigan. The state Supreme Court ruled, as a matter of state law, that the government’s confiscation of surplus equity after a tax sale violates the Takings Clause of the Michigan Constitution. Like its federal counterpart, that provision guarantees that the government cannot take property without paying just compensation.

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It would take nearly four more years before federal law would catch up. In the 2023 decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, as in Michigan, so it is everywhere: when the government takes more property than it is owed, it has to pay back the surplus — just like in every other debt collection context (imagine if the bank repossessed your car over eight bucks). 

But in Tyler, the court did not consider what exactly must be paid back. The Constitution requires “just compensation,” which usually means the fair market value of the property at the time it was taken. But some courts have measured the value of the property by whatever the government manages to get from selling it, even if the sale price is far below the property’s actual value. That’s the question at issue in the Pung case.

Oakland County took Uri Rafaeli’s rental property after a slight miscalculation resulted in his underpayment of $8.41. 

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The government has a legitimate interest in levying taxes. And when taxes go unpaid, it has several tools available to collect. But there is simply no reason why property owners should lose the equity in their homes over a small, simple mistake. As the Supreme Court said in Tyler, taxpayers must render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s — but no more.

The Constitution is ill-served by any rule that lets the government off the hook for reimbursing the full value of the property they’ve taken. And any regime that permits windfall profits to governments or investors creates a perverse incentive for tax collectors to maximize their bounty at the expense of homeowners. Again and again, local governments have proven that if you give them an inch, they’ll take your home.

DAVID MARCUS: Craven politics is the only excuse left for Dems refusing to fund DHS

When it comes to striking a deal to pay the people who keep us safe, congressional Democrats just won’t take yes for an answer.

Just a month ago, they were demanding that ICE pull out of Minnesota and that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem be fired before they could vote to fund the agency. Now, with Noem gone and ICE pulling back from Minneapolis, Democrats would seem to have gotten what they wanted. So why are Senate Minority Chuck Schumer and his House counterpart Hakeem Jeffries continuing to punish their constituents through this lingering partial government shutdown?

In particular, how can refusing to pay the people who keep our airports safe be justified when we are at war with Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world?

Sadly, though not surprisingly, the answer is pure politics.

DHS SHUTDOWN MAY DELAY US TERROR RESPONSE AMID IRAN CONFLICT, EXPERT WARNS

Make no mistake, the removal of Noem was a serious concession from President Donald Trump. This is, after all, the woman who spearheaded the almost total shutdown of the southern border, arguably, the president’s top achievement.

As to the aggressive ICE tactics used in Minneapolis, while they were generally unpopular, a strong number of voters in the MAGA base didn’t think they went far enough. So yes, Noem’s scalp was, in some ways, a peace offering.

You would think that Democratic leadership would be doing a choreographed end zone dance on the National Mall over this victory, but instead, they are still telling TSA agents, “Sorry, you can’t get paid yet, we like how things are trending.”

TWO SHOOTINGS INTENSIFY DHS STANDOFF AS GOP WARNS OF RISING TERROR THREATS

The only relatively serious demand that Democrats have left, and I’m stretching the term to its limit here, is to have agents unmasked. This can’t happen, because of documented incidents of doxxing, but offers have been made to use ID numbers.

In short, the only real obstacle that the Democrats can point to on the way to restoring funding is themselves.

As to why the Democrats are so intransigent in the face of growing calls to open up the government and more security lines at our airports, I regret to inform you that the answer is nothing but craven politics.

STEVE SCALISE RIPS DEMOCRATS FOR ‘PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES’ WITH DHS SHUTDOWN AMID IRAN THREAT

A year ago, Schumer made clear that his goal was to get Trump’s approval under 42% by the midterms. It’s almost there, and the reason why remains the shutdown of last year, which was a major success for Democrats.

On Oct. 1, when the shutdown started Trump’s approval was at 46%. By the end of the shutdown, it was down to 43%, and he had gone from a net of -6 to -12. With a few chutes and ladders along the way, that number has never recovered.

Meanwhile, Democrats netted governorships in New Jersey and Virginia, while installing a communist as mayor of New York City. So yes, Democrats and the far Left won the last shutdown, decisively.

TSA WORKERS BRACE FOR MISSED PAYCHECKS AS DEMOCRATS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING

The difference today, obviously, is that we are now at war, and have, in just the past week, seen no fewer than four suspected radical Muslim terror attacks in our nation, at least since the last time I checked.

Let’s go back to some basics for a moment. The agency whose funding is being held up here is quite literally called the “Department of Homeland Security.” It’s right there in the name. Not paying them is like playing in the Super Bowl and not funding your offensive line.

It seems pretty clear that congressional Democrats don’t care if a few Americans wind up dying in preventable terror attacks. After all, they know that most of the media will just blame Trump anyway.

COAST GUARD CAUGHT AS ‘COLLATERAL DAMAGE’ IN DEMOCRATS’ DHS SHUTDOWN AS CHINA, RUSSIA PRESS US WATERS

Democrats’ obstinance here should also be considered in regard to the other great debate in Congress, whether to break the Senate filibuster to pass the Save America Act, as Trump is demanding.

If Democrats won’t take the win on DHS, if they are willing to punish TSA agents and put the nation at risk to score political points there, then how can they be trusted partners in a filibuster process?

The filibuster assumes, and only works if, senators are acting in good faith. But Schumer and his radicals are not doing that. They are using it like sand thrown in the gears of government to sabotage any and all progress.

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For Trump’s part, what the White House needs to continue to point out is that Democrats got what they wanted and are still willing to harm the country in the hopes of a demoralized American electorate handing them power in November.

What Democrats are doing is despicable, dishonest and dishonorable. What’s even worse is that it just might be working.

LABOR SEC CHAVEZ-DEREMER: Our plan to rescind the Biden independent contractor rule

Since President Donald Trump took back the White House just over a year ago, the Department of Labor has followed his leadership with a singular vision: Put American workers first in everything we do. 

As a small business owner who has traveled the country on my 50-state listening tour, I can say confidently that our nation’s labor force is the envy of the world, and workers are thriving under the return of America First leadership. In this fast-changing global landscape, the Trump administration is committed to ensuring our workers have the tools and opportunities they need to compete and earn a good, honest living without unnecessary government intrusion.

In that spirit, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division released a proposed rule that provides clarity to help workers and employers alike determine when a worker is properly classified as an independent contractor and when that worker is an employee owed rigorous protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In proposing this rule, we celebrate the decisions of Americans who choose to test their entrepreneurial spirit — the same spirit on which our country was founded 250 years ago.

I HAD TO LEAVE CALIFORNIA TO SAVE MY BUSINESS. NOW THERE’S HOPE

The way Americans work is rapidly changing, and several states are responding by restricting opportunities for workers to choose independent work in the name of reducing worker misclassification. Eliminating worker misclassification is necessary to ensure workers receive what they are owed. But doing so in a way that severely restricts Americans’ freedom to work as they choose stifles ambition, betrays our foundational values as a nation and harms our economy.

The way Americans work is rapidly changing, and several states are responding by restricting opportunities for workers to choose independent work in the name of reducing worker misclassification. 

Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Labor is taking a better approach. By providing American workers and employers with clear guidance within the confines of longstanding legal precedent, my department balances the need to give independent workers and entrepreneurs the flexibility they want with our mandate to preserve the robust legal protections owed to true FLSA employees.

To that end, our proposed rule would rescind the Biden administration’s 2024 independent contractor rule, which made it harder to work as an independent contractor and led to more confusion than clarity. If left in place, the Biden rule would continue to produce unpredictable results that harm workers and employers alike.

To provide much-needed clarity and help employers comply with the FLSA, our proposed rule would:

1. Use the longstanding “economic reality” test adopted by federal courts to determine a worker’s proper classification.
2. Identify two “core” factors most useful in determining a worker’s classification: the nature and degree of control the worker has over the work and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss.
3. Advise that three additional factors — skill, permanence, and whether the work is part of an integrated unit of production — have value in this analysis but are typically less useful in determining classification.
4. Clarify that the actual practice of a work arrangement — the on-the-ground reality between worker and employer — is more relevant than what is contractually or theoretically possible.
5. Provide eight concrete examples of how the factors would apply in real-world circumstances.

No matter the complexity or scope of the work arrangement — whether it involves a rideshare driver, an independent trucker or a freelance writer — the proposed rule will make it easier to define work roles with greater predictability. 

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By grounding this classification structure in longstanding legal principles and offering illustrative examples of real-world applications, the proposed rule will deliver tangible benefits for independent workers and employees alike. 

These changes will also empower employers by reducing the risk of FLSA misclassification violations, which hurt workers and employers who are playing by the rules.

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I encourage all interested parties to submit public comments to the department during the 60-day comment period, which is set to end April 28. 

With your help, and under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Labor will continue to fight for American workers every day to ensure their rights and needs come first.

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DAVID MARCUS: The more America gives Mamdani, Khalil and the mad bombers, the more they hate us

Zohran Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York City, activist Mahmoud Khalil is a graduate of two great American universities and the Pennsylvania alleged ISIS-inspired bomb throwers come from wealthy suburbs most people can only dream of, so why on Earth do these privileged people hate America so much?

Seriously, what has America done to Mamdani other than provide him with limitless opportunity? How can he and his supporters have such disdain for the capitalist culture and country that opened so many doors for them?

And Khalil is a man who was educated at the American University in Lebanon, and then at Columbia University, the alma mater of Alexander Hamilton. How does he express his gratitude? By leading riots in New York, calling for the end of Western civilization and threatening the safety of Jewish students, of course.

Speaking of Jews, we have learned that Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, who was seen in a photo this week serving Khalil a meal in Gracie Mansion, liked a tweet saying the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on 10/7 was a hoax.

20% OF NYC MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI TRANSITION APPOINTEES HAVE ANTI-ZIONIST TIES: ADL

It’s interesting how often disdain for America and hatred of Jews are two sides of the same coin. Big Satan, little Satan and all that.

Hizzoner says that his wife is not a public figure and refuses to address the matter, but Rama sure seems like a public figure when she is posing for glossy magazine spreads.

Then we have the hapless alleged bomb tossers from tony Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The parents of one of them own a Popeye’s franchise. The kid is rich and has unlimited access to fried chicken, so what would make him and his buddy want to destroy America and establish a global Islamic caliphate?

THE US GOVERNMENT TARGETED ME FOR MY POLITICAL SPEECH. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU, TOO

This is where the conversation gets a little uncomfortable.

All week, we have been seeing images coming out of Gracie Mansion, home of Gotham’s mayor, of Mamdani and guests breaking their Ramadan fasts, shoes off, sitting on Persian carpets on the floor. It is all very much pushed in our faces.

Meanwhile, Mamdani seems to constantly appear at Islamic houses of worship and recently cheered the growth of Islam in the city, saying, “Mosques popping up all over New York. It’s beautiful. It’s a sign of our community growing stronger every day.”

ISRAEL ACCUSES MAMDANI OF POURING ‘ANTISEMITIC GASOLINE’ AFTER HE REVOKES ADAMS EXECUTIVE ORDERS

In 1960, when John F. Kennedy broke the ultimate religious barrier in Amercian politcs, he did so by basically saying, “You won’t even know I’m Catholic, because it has nothing to do with the job.” This is decidedly not the style of Mamdani, who has made himself a poster child of his faith.

Of course, the progressives who cheer on the rise of Islam in our cities understand the trap they are laying. Anyone who dares to question one of the most famous public buildings in New York turning into the set of “Sinbad the Sailor” is a bigot.

The problem is that when that public celebration of Ramadan includes Khalil, who would welcome the overthrow not just of Israel but of the United States, it isn’t just a holiday Hallmark card anymore, it’s a dangerous political statement.

‘THE PEOPLE’S QUR’AN’: MAMDANI ANNOUNCES NYC QUR’AN EXHIBIT WITH BOOK BELONGING TO REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVIST

Furthermore, as we know from the allegiance to ISIS sworn by the alleged would-be bombers, Islam is not some small, marginalized faith group, it’s the world’s largest at 2 billion people. It runs more countries than any other religion on the planet.

This brings us back to our original question, why do Mamdani and Duwaji, and Khalil and the bombers want to tear down the nation that gave them so much opportunity?

Increasingly, it looks like they object to the fact that our American, capitalist system is not Muslim.

MAMDANI SPARKS VIRAL OUTRAGE OVER DINNER PHOTO WITH MAHMOUD KHALIL INSIDE GRACIE MANSION: ‘DISGRACEFUL’

This is why there are concerns about places like Cedar Riverside in Minneapolis, where the Muslim Somali community makes no effort to assimilate, but rather exists as its own quasi-Muslim, fraud-funded state.

This is why Texans are worried about plans to create Islamic communities in the state that exist all but independently from everything else.

It is not unreasonable for people to look at figures like newly minted multi-millionaire Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who owe everything they have to this country and the enormous generosity of its people, and find the utter lack of gratitude absolutely galling.

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Everyone mentioned above, and frankly almost everyone in Mamdani’s Gen Z band of illiterate communists, comes from privilege and luxury that most of my neighbors in West Virginia will never know, even though they probably pay for some of it.

The American people are waking up, they have seen what has happened in the U.K. and Canada. To be a Muslim American is great, just like any other faith, but to be a Muslim who wishes to overthrow America and its culture is another matter, and increasingly, Mamdani and his coterie look an awful lot like the latter.

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Iran war jeopardizes Trump economic boom before key midterm elections

Will the Iran war turn President Donald Trump’s 1980s boom into a 1970s stagflation? Only if it drags out, which the president says he plans to avoid. But the enemy gets a vote too, as the saying goes, so what if it’s a long conflict?

As soon as Trump started bombing Iran, markets fell – especially growth stocks like AI. Silver plunged. Bonds fell. Even gold is now down nearly 3%, having replaced its initial war pop with an ominous flight to dollars you see in recessions.

Oil jumped 10% in two days, from $67 to $74 per barrel on the way to $86 as of writing.

Markets always react fast – and they can overreact. The question for the wider economy is how long the war disrupts Middle East oil exports.

SCHUMER ONCE BLOCKED TRUMP’S MOVE TO FILL THE NATION’S OIL RESERVES, NOW HE WANTS THEM OPENED

About 20% of global oil exports pass the narrow Strait of Hormuz that is next to Iran. Another 30% are in range of Iranian missiles in the Gulf of Oman and Red Sea.

The U.S. actually imports almost none of this – Middle East oil is just 2% of American oil consumption. But oil markets are global, so Middle East disruption drives prices up worldwide.

On the initial attack, ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz plunged by 70%, according to MarineTraffic. By March 3, it ground to a “total halt,” according to Lloyd’s List.

THE WAR HITS HOME: WHY FINANCIAL PAIN AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY THREATEN TRUMP’S DRIVE TO TOPPLE IRAN’S REGIME

Trump then ordered the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to provide political risk insurance and financial guarantees for maritime trade through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

This will help by removing risk to shippers. But traffic is unlikely to fully recover until the campaign ends.

Trump is currently suggesting the war might take just four weeks. But the administration is also messaging the war will go “as long as it takes.”

EX-NAVY SEAL WARNS WITHDRAWING FROM IRAN NOW WOULD HAND ‘VICTORY’ TO REGIME

Promising a long war could be tactical, to demoralize the Iranian regime. But opinion polls show the American people have very little appetite for a long war.

A recent CBS poll found a war lasting fewer than eight weeks is +52 in the polls, while a war that lasts longer than that is -8. Polling would likely get worse if American casualties mount.

On the initial attack, ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz plunged by 70%, according to MarineTraffic. By March 3, it ground to a “total halt,” according to Lloyd’s List.

In terms of the economy, there will only be real fallout if the war drags on. And that falls into three baskets: growth, jobs and inflation.

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Historically, every $10 rise in oil knocks about two-tenths of a percent off economic growth. That’s small in an economy that’s growing over 3%, according to the Fed’s GDPNow. It might lower annual wage growth by about $300, given the $19 oil has already risen.

Still, that goes on top of expensive oil to heat your home or gas your car. AAA says gasoline prices have already jumped nearly 20%, from $2.98 to $3.56. Between gasoline, transport costs and utilities, that might bump inflation another six-tenths of a percent – translating into another $500 in household costs.

Meanwhile, higher oil prices and slower growth both hit job creation – given the move we’ve already seen, they might drop job creation by 15,000 to 20,000 per month.

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So it’s painful. But it’s not a recession.

What would put us in recession is a long war. A recent study by Deutsche Bank looked at historic oil shocks, concluding you need a 50% to 100% sustained jump in oil to set off a recession.

This would imply oil prices between $100 and $150 that remained high.

Even then, according to Deutsche, oil only causes recession when the economy is already limping. For example, the 1970s is the poster child for an oil crash. But the U.S. economy was already stagflationary because of Washington’s so-called guns and butter policy of fighting Vietnam while building a trillion-dollar welfare state. This drove the “Nixon Shock,” which pre-dated the oil embargo by several years.

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In contrast, when the bombs started, the Fed’s GDPNow was at a healthy 3% on GDP growth and the most recent productivity was 4.9% – one of the highest since the Reagan boom.

This means $100 oil could knock us into the 1% area on growth. But it’s unlikely to spark a recession unless the Fed panics on oil inflation and hikes rates. Which could mow down enough jobs to tip us over the edge.

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For now, the biggest war impact is oil prices. But if the war keeps going, oil trickles down to growth, jobs, consumer spending and inflation that could set off a Fed hike doom loop.

If that happens, Trump could be throwing away his hard-won boom just in time for midterm elections that hand Congress to Democrats. They will take us on a two-year journey of paralysis, congressional hearings and repeated impeachments.

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The US government targeted me for my political speech. It could happen to you, too

Three years ago, I came to the United States as a graduate student with the intention of studying public and international affairs at Columbia University, with a focus on public service. Like many who come here from across the world, I had a vision of the United States as the land of the free, a place where freedom of speech was cherished and where I could study freely. I thought it was a place where I could stand up for what I believed in without fear of retaliation from the government.

On March 8, 2025, that vision shattered. Multiple plainclothes ICE agents in unmarked cars grabbed me, without a warrant, from the lobby of my apartment building in New York and threw me on a plane to a federal detention center in Louisiana. As a green card holder with a U.S. citizen wife — who was 8 months pregnant at the time — I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had been targeted by the government because of my lawful speech in support of Palestinian rights, for protesting the use of my tax dollars and tuition fees to support the Israeli occupation.

Throughout my 104 days in federal detention, during which I missed the birth of my first child, I considered myself a political prisoner. The government had deprived me of my liberty, not because I had broken any laws, but because it didn’t like what I had to say.

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Once I challenged my detention and Secretary Rubio’s determination that my political views posed a foreign policy threat, the government scrambled to add new accusations. They alleged, baselessly, that I had committed fraud on my green card application. Claims invented not out of evidence, but out of retaliation. Recent evidence in federal court revealed that DHS itself acknowledged, a day before my arrest, that there were no issues with the information I provided on my green card application because everything was complete, true, and correct. Yet I was arrested anyway.

I was not alone. Other students and scholars with valid immigration status were similarly targeted for detention and deportation despite having committed no crime. They were pulled off streets by masked agents, targeted outside of their homes, and tricked into arrests during citizenship appointments. What happened to us is exactly what the First Amendment is designed to prevent: the government deciding which speech is acceptable and which is not. Once that protection is weakened, everyone is at risk.

The Supreme Court recognized eighty years ago that the First Amendment protects all of us in the United States — citizens and noncitizens alike — from government persecution for our beliefs. If we allow that boundary to be violated for noncitizens, or when the government claims a foreign policy concern, a precedent is created that can be used against all of us. Even citizens. Even people who disagree with me vehemently about Palestine.

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The government has argued that federal courts must let people sit in immigration detention for months or years before reviewing allegations of constitutional violations. They have argued that Pro-Palestine speech constitutes a foreign policy threat. They have argued that I deserve to be deported because they dislike my ideas. If they can do this to a lawful permanent resident with a U.S. citizen wife and newborn U.S. citizen child, there’s no telling who else they will come for.

The government isn’t allowed to control how we can speak and think. Attorneys representing me in my case, and others like me in similar cases, argued this point in court and secured our release from detention. But my case is still ongoing, and the executive branch’s immigration agency may soon order my deportation. So, I ask Americans directly: do you want to live in a country where you can be snatched off the street by plainclothes agents for your thoughts?

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In Assad’s Syria, where I grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp, that was routine. Since the beginning of 2025, the United States, a country whose Constitution protects freedom of speech, has seen an increase in these actions that I once associated with Assad: abductions by plainclothes officers without warrants, forced detention of people who express views the government doesn’t like, and the targeted silencing of dissent.

I will continue to use my platform to advocate for human rights in Palestine. But I ask each and every person reading this to use their voice to defend our First Amendment rights. The right to speak our minds, no matter who holds power, is the foundation of our democracy, and it is in peril. Whatever you may think of me or my views, that foundation belongs to all of us.

Trump ends Biden’s drug price nightmare — Americans get real relief with TrumpRx

As a physician and a mother, I have seen firsthand how Washington’s decisions ripple into the exam room and around the kitchen table. At a time when healthcare debates often divide, it is worth recognizing leaders who safeguard freedom while tackling real health needs. The Trump administration is doing exactly that: protecting access, preserving choice and confronting public-health challenges while trusting families and their physicians to decide what is best.

President Donald Trump is proving that when Washington listens to everyday Americans and acts with urgency, real change is possible. For too long, the crushing cost of prescription drugs has forced families to make an impossible choice between filling a prescription and paying their bills.

Lowering drug prices has been a cornerstone of his presidency, and he has taken meaningful steps to deliver by expanding generics and biosimilars, implementing historic price transparency rules, capping insulin costs for seniors, advancing TrumpRX to increase competition and direct access, and pursuing a “Most Favored Nation” policy, so Americans are no longer paying more for medications than patients in other developed countries.

These policies represent an important shift toward putting patients, not middlemen, first. It’s a strong and necessary start, but sustaining this momentum by increasing competition and expanding access will be critical to finally bringing lasting relief to Americans.

HOW TO USE TRUMPRX TO FIND CHEAPER CASH PRICES ON MEDICATIONS

This is not the first time Trump has revolutionized healthcare access. He set the tone during his first term with Operation Warp Speed, a milestone in American biomedical history, after COVID-19 paralyzed the world six years ago this month. By pairing private‑sector innovation with decisive federal coordination, it accelerated effective vaccine development and distribution; proving speed and rigor can coexist when government clears paths instead of creating bottlenecks. Just as important, it expanded options for patients and families, reinforcing a simple principle: access first, always.

What followed, however, is where public trust began to erode. Not because of Operation Warp Speed, but because its success was taken over by bureaucratic overreach. I watched in real time as public trust in health institutions collapsed, common sense was dismissed, legitimate debate was shut down and universal COVID vaccine mandates were imposed. Patients did not turn away from the vaccine recommendations because of the science; they turned away because of coercion despite evolving science and varying risk levels.

When personal autonomy gave way to mandates, they undermined confidence in both institutions and vaccines themselves. The result wasn’t the product of Trump’s leadership and scientific progress; it was the consequence of power being prioritized over personal choice.

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Today, this administration is again pursuing strong public‑health outcomes without treating Americans as bystanders. Trust should be built where it matters most: in the home and in the doctor’s office. Parents want choice. Doctors want access. Parents overwhelmingly trust their own physicians. Doctors who know a child’s history and needs should remain the most trusted voices and, increasingly, America’s health agencies are speaking that same language.

The recent shift in tone from top health leaders is significant and worth recognizing. Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jay Bhattacharya is urging Americans to get the measles vaccine as cases rise and the U.S. risks losing its hard-won elimination status. He called the decision “deeply personal” while making clear that “measles is preventable and vaccination remains the most effective way to protect yourself and those around you.”

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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz echoed that in February: “There will never be a barrier to Americans getting access to the measles vaccine. It is part of the core schedule.” This is what responsible public health communication looks like: honest, direct, and rooted in science, without coercion.

President Donald Trump is proving that when Washington listens to everyday Americans and acts with urgency, real change is possible.

The challenge now is sustaining this posture. Keeping vaccines available, affordable and accessible is not a concession to one side of the political debate, it’s broadly popular across the spectrum and conservatives are no exception. Skepticism of mandates and top-down health edicts does not translate into a desire to see vaccines become harder to get or more expensive to access. Americans want the freedom to make their own choices alongside their doctors and that freedom is only meaningful when access is guaranteed.

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At the same time, the message must be clear: removing mandates does not mean vaccines are no longer recommended, or they have somehow been deemed unsafe. Vaccines remain one of the most effective tools in modern medicine. When vaccination rates fall, history and modern-day show that preventable disease and mortality rise.

Trump understands this, and his agencies need to hold the line: speak honestly about what the science says, respect personal decision-making and ensure that no American faces a barrier to a vaccine they want. That’s a winning posture politically — and more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.

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DAVID MARCUS: Madman Mamdani’s predictable, disgraceful performance after Gotham terror

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You have to hand it to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani: as an anti-American cartoon villain, he really knows how to stay in character. After Saturday’s ISIS-inspired terror attack outside his home in Manhattan, what we have is an almost comical example.

No sooner had the alleged homegrown Pennsylvania Islamic bomb throwers literally thrown their bombs, than Zany Zohran released a statement to blame — wait for it — the very anti-Muslim protesters the terrorists were trying to kill.

After decrying the White supremacists, who actually did protest peacefully, Hizzoner wrote: “What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”

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See what happened here? The anti-Muslim contingent gets specifically called out — even arguably made to look guilty of the bombing — but the men who allegedly tried to kill police officers and others have their evil Muslim supremacist ideology utterly ignored, as if it isn’t even real.

Even the Mamdani-loving New York Times ran the headline, “Mamdani Chooses His Words Carefully After Alleged Terror Attack.”

Ya think?

As more reports emerge, it is becoming even clearer that this violence was perpetrated because the alleged terrorists objected to the Prophet Muhammad being insulted — and it seems like something that must be confronted head-on.

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It’s amazing. These lunatics allegedly screamed “Allahu Akbar,” just like the shooter in Austin, Texas, on March 1, who wore a “Property of Allah” hoodie and a T-shirt with an image resembling the Iranian flag. Yet progressives like Mamdani still puzzle over what their actual motives could be.

Multiple biplanes could spell out “This Is Islamic Terrorism” in skywriting, and these useful idiots would stroke their beards and say, “We may never know…”

As if downplaying the attempted murder of police officers and citizens just outside his home wasn’t bad enough, Mamdani took bad taste to an even greater level the following night by hosting Mahmoud Khalil — an America-hating, college-campus chaos agent — at Gracie Mansion for dinner.

NYC MAYOR MAMDANI’S WIFE LIKED POSTS CELEBRATING OCT 7 TERROR ATTACKS BUT GETS SOFT TREATMENT FROM THE PRESS

Cozy photos emerged of New York City’s first lady, Rama Duwaji — who, by the way, we just learned “liked” a slew of anti-Semitic posts following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel — serving a smiling Khalil. It resembled a Norman Rockwell painting of Jew-hatred.

You might recall that the Trump administration attempted to deport Khalil for sowing discord and running a series of illegal protests that crippled not just Columbia University, where he studied, but much of the city.

Why would New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani fete this fetid, anti-American and, frankly, ungrateful foreign provocateur the day after an alleged Islamic terror attack?

MAMDANI’S WIFE LIKED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS ‘CHEERING ON’ HAMAS’ OCT 7 MASSACRE OF ISRAELIS: REPORT

To mock you. Because he can.

In the Norman Rockwell painting, you see Khalil and Duwaji laughing. Make no mistake: they are laughing at you — at every American who thinks they can stop the political takeover they are plotting.

In a normal world, it would have been NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards being celebrated at Gracie Mansion after he leapt into action, hurdling the barrier like a real-life, muscle-car-driving, 1970s gritty cop-show hero.

This is the very image of running into danger to save others, of selfless sacrifice. If Zany Zohran would rather host people who hate America than brave police officers, then I hope the Trump administration will consider honoring him and his fellow officers at the White House.

Mamdani has shown his true colors this week. Dozens of deaths at the hands of alleged ISIS-inspired terrorists were narrowly averted, and his response was not just to deflect blame but to then honor a man who supports that very terrorism.

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If Mamdani and other prominent Muslim leaders cannot or will not firmly call out Islamic terrorism directly, then we need to have some very close conversations about what being an American is and what our country stands for.

Meanwhile, New York City better buckle up. It always has a target on its back from Islamic terrorists, but now, perhaps for the first time, it has a mayor who openly and passionately sides with the overall goals of those terrorists.

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I mean, this guy can’t even decide whether “Globalize the Intifada” — a specific call to kill Jews — is problematic.

Only in New York, kids.

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From Nashville to Chicago’s South Side, fatherlessness haunts America

On my long walk across America, I took a weekend detour and found myself in Music City, Nashville. Tennessee is my home state, and I’ve always loved coming to Nashville. The neon lights of Broadway, the music pouring out from bars, voices rising spontaneously in song and, of course, those stumbling with too much whiskey in them. 

Yet, for some reason, as I talked to folks I met — from musicians and churchgoers to families and the young — I could sense a certain tension and uncertainty in their voices about the present and the future. Nashville is at a moral crossroads.

The markers of faith are everywhere in Nashville. I passed by countless churches, the crosses standing tall in the sky. Many artists sing of redemption and finding grace. There is still the local, traditional culture that has fueled Nashville for so long. But there is a change, a shift of sorts, happening — the pressure that comes from the larger national culture, influenced by nontraditional and postmodern forces.

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You can hear it in the songs: pop crossovers, party anthems that glorify hookup culture and its excesses, lyrics that chase trends over timeless truths. When I hear, “It’s just a room key / You ain’t gotta lie to me / Can’t you just use me like I’m using you,” it leaves sadness and emptiness in its wake.

I know the consequences of fatherlessness all too well, and that’s why I’ve been walking across America to raise funds for a community center designed to promote family values: education, jobs, courtship, marriage, child-rearing and responsible finances.

I’m not trying to be old-fashioned. Believe me, I’ve heard worse come out of O-Block in Chicago, which is home to drill rap and my church. I get the same feeling of emptiness and soullessness from both pieces of music. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the consequences for those who live a hookup-culture lifestyle, which never ends well and usually results in an unwanted baby or two. And they then come knocking on my door seeking salvation through Jesus Christ.

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On one of the corners, I fell into conversation with a local songwriter who had recognized me from Fox. He told me the industry is about “what sells.” It has always been that way, but it is more entrenched now due to corporate executives who chase money and clicks over art. 

The songwriter’s friend, a local pastor, said the same thing was happening to families. He told me how his kids, as well as the kids from his church, were being bombarded with ideological messages about their skin color, their gender identity and even about their parents. He felt that their education was being compromised.

Both men were in their mid-20s, and what surprised me was that they had both grown up without fathers. Yep, those warnings we heard about 30 or so years ago are now realities before my eyes. The Black community has long dealt with fatherlessness and has borne that stigma for decades. But it is no secret that fatherlessness has been rising across all races and ethnicities at alarming rates.

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On the South Side of Chicago, far too many kids grow up without dads to guide them and without strong models of manhood rooted in responsibility and faith. The streets fill the void with gangs, revenge and music that glorifies all the wrong things in life — lyrics that I can’t even print here. 

I know the consequences of fatherlessness all too well, and that’s why I’ve been walking across America to raise funds for a community center designed to promote family values: education, jobs, courtship, marriage, child-rearing and responsible finances.

But when you peel back the layers, you will easily see that the causes of fatherlessness are the same everywhere: the breakdown of values and faith. Instant gratification before discipline. 

In Nashville, the decline may be subtler than on the South Side, but there is the same emptiness where purpose should be, the same moral confusion instead of clarity and the same lostness of soul instead of the vivacity of life.

This isn’t just Nashville or Chicago. America is at a crossroads. There are still many Americans living the principled life, as I’ve mentioned in other Rooftop Revelations, but there is still an underbelly, and this problem of fatherlessness isn’t going away anytime soon.

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The good news? Redemption is possible. Those two young men I met — the songwriter and the pastor — found Christ and rebuilt their damaged families on the shared values of God, family and opportunity. 

Nashville can reclaim its soul by doubling down on its faith heritage, letting songs of truth rise above the noise. Chicago can rise by rebuilding fathers, restoring merit and inviting God’s presence back into broken places. And America? We can turn the tide one step, one prayer, one restored life at a time.

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MIKE PENCE: Trump and our incredible military are ending 47 years of Iranian terror

From its inception in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has long engaged in open hostility and violence toward the United States and Israel and has been a malign source of chaos and disorder across the Arab world. 

On Feb. 28, America said “enough is enough.” With the daylight launch of Operation Epic Fury, our country initiated hostilities against the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, but America did not start this war. After 47 years of terrorism and bloodshed, the armed forces of the United States and our ally Israel have combined overwhelming military force to end it.

As Operation Epic Fury unfolds, there is much credit to go around. But first, President Donald Trump should be commended for taking decisive action to end decades of violence against American soldiers, our bases in the region and our cherished ally Israel. His willingness to strike at precisely the moment when the ayatollah and some 40 senior Iranian officials and commanders were assembled and most vulnerable was a master stroke.

And the president’s willingness to ignore the growing voices of isolationism echoing from the fringes of Republican ranks, unleashing the most powerful military in the world, not just in this time, but last year in Operation Midnight Hammer, striking a devastating blow to Iran’s nuclear program, was deeply admirable.

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Of course, the most credit goes to the men and women of America’s armed forces serving at this very hour in harm’s way. From the outset of hostilities, American service members deployed in Operation Epic Fury have performed with the utmost courage and professionalism. They deserve the admiration of every American and should remain daily in our prayers.

Thanks to coordinated efforts of the American, Israeli and Gulf nations’ militaries, the Iranian military has already been seriously degraded, its leadership scattered or killed and its ability to project force both inside and outside the region neutered. Today, the Iranian navy sits at the bottom of the ocean, air superiority has been established over the skies of Iran and their capacity to launch missiles and wreak mayhem across the Middle East has been dramatically diminished.

While partisans on the progressive left and the isolationist right have been quick to question the president’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, I believe that two historic objectives are finally within reach as a result of the courage of our military and our commander in chief’s decisive leadership.

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First, the punishing air campaign against the security infrastructure and ballistic missiles of the Iranian regime could well put regime change within reach. Within days or weeks, the Iranian regime may be incapable of projecting force even against its own people, thereby allowing the long-suffering Iranian people the chance to rise up and retake their freedom, making America, Israel and the world more secure.

Second, Operation Epic Fury has the potential to reestablish the deterrence squandered by President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Weakness arouses evil. It’s no secret that America’s weakness on the world stage under the Biden administration set the stage for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and for Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on October 7th, financed and approved by the mullahs in Tehran.

With nearly flawless execution of Operation Epic Fury, our armed forces have sent a deafening message of America’s military might echoing across the Arab World and in the halls of power in Moscow and Beijing. As Putin continues to wage his merciless war against Ukraine and China’s President Xi Jinping and the People’s Liberation Army continue to menace Taiwan, the overwhelming force displayed by the combined forces of the United States could well give them pause concerning plans for future military aggression.

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America’s objective is not conquest; it never has been. It is the safety and security of the American people, our allies and a region that has endured decades of violence at the hands of the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Across the Arab world, there has been a growing recognition that the mullahs are not merely wayward brothers, but foes and a serious threat that must be addressed. A free and liberated Iran creates an opportunity to restore balance across the region and strengthen cooperation among nations that share an interest in peace and prosperity, not sowing regional anarchy. The Abraham Accords may have just been the beginning of a new era of peace and cooperation across the Arab world. 

Today, the Iranian navy sits at the bottom of the ocean, air superiority has been established over the skies of Iran and their capacity to launch missiles and wreak mayhem across the Middle East has been dramatically diminished.

America is at war and history teaches that such moments require resolve. After the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, the United States chose not to finish the job and confront an Iraqi regime that had thrust the region into chaos. Within a decade, American forces returned.

Today, the United States is taking action to cut out the heart of terrorism in the Middle East. With the courage of our armed forces and sustained leadership from Washington, Tel Aviv and our growing list of regional allies, the ability of the Iranian regime to threaten its neighbors and oppress its people can be permanently degraded if not destroyed. But America must see this fight through.

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To end the threat of the Iranian regime and restore America’s credibility as the arsenal of democracy and the leader of the free world, America must finish this fight once and for all.

None of this will come without sacrifice and Operation Epic Fury has already claimed the last full measure of devotion from seven brave Americans. As a parent and in-law of active duty service members, we know the pride but not the heartache of the families of our heroic fallen. Every American should carry these precious families in our prayers and assure them that their loved one’s names will be enshrined in the hearts of a grateful nation forever.

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For 47 years, the tyrants of Iran have waged a campaign of terror against the United States, Israel and the aspirations of the Iranian people. Bringing that era to a close will not only strengthen American security but will also open the door to a future in which the people of Iran are finally free to reclaim the promise of their proud and ancient nation from the grip of tyranny. 

And that would be a victory not only for America, but for the cause of liberty itself.

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JONATHAN TURLEY: Sanders’ wealth tax dangles checks while torching the Constitution

“Enough is enough.” With those words, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders launched a push to impose a 5% annual wealth tax on America’s billionaires. With Rep. Ro Khanna, the legislation, “Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act,” echoes the growing “eat-the-rich” mantra on the left — seeking to replicate a disastrous push in California that has led to an exodus from that state and an estimated loss of $2 trillion in taxable assets.

It is also flagrantly unconstitutional.

Under the plan, Congress would target 938 billionaires to tap them for $4.4 trillion. That money would then be redistributed as a $3,000 direct payment to every man, woman and child in a household making $150,000 or less — $12,000 for a family of four.

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The timing of the move is telling. Not only is it calculated before the midterm elections, in which the Democrats hope to retake power, but it follows the push by California Democrats and unions to impose a similar wealth tax in that state.

The practical problem is that the wealthy, like their wealth, are mobile. As a result, many are fleeing California. So now Khanna is joining with the nation’s leading Democratic Socialists to ensure there is nowhere to hide in the United States. For billionaires in California, they could be double-tapped for 10% of their wealth.

It has long been the dream of the far left. Years ago, Warren delighted Democratic voters in her run for the presidency by telling the rich she was coming after “your Rembrandts, your stock portfolio, your diamonds and your yachts.” In one debate, she dramatically rubbed her hands together after saying she would take some of the wealth of fellow candidate John Delaney, a self-made millionaire.

In my new book, Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American RevolutionI discuss the growing threat of “economic factionalism” as politicians fuel rage against the wealthy based on the false premise that they are not “paying their fair share.” While there are good-faith arguments for adjusting tax burdens to address budget demands, the top 1% pays more taxes than the bottom 90% combined.

There is little reason to believe that a wealth tax targeting billionaires will not, if upheld, be later extended to lower tax brackets, starting with multimillionaires. That is the signature of economic factionalism, which feeds an insatiable appetite for greater wealth seizure.

The Sanders-Khanna plan is notable in its express commitment to direct wealth redistribution. It also explains why the left has made the packing of the Supreme Court a priority. As Harvard professor Michael Klarman explained years ago, the radical agenda to change the system to guarantee Republicans “will never win another election” requires control of the Supreme Court to uphold such measures.

The problem is that the Constitution bars the implementation of such a federal wealth tax. When the 16th Amendment was ratified, it allowed for federal income taxes, and only income taxes: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

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The effort to expand federal taxation beyond income taxes will require either a constitutional amendment or an enabling, packed Court.

Nevertheless, these politicians will continue to dangle wealth distribution before voters. They will demonize figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk for their wealth while ignoring that these same figures are wealth and job creators, driving our economic growth. Instead, Sanders declared that “Billionaires cannot have it all.”

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The irony of Rep. Khanna turning on his own constituents in Silicon Valley underscores the appeal of wealth-redistribution campaigns. He is turning the very heart of his state’s economic growth as state deficits and out-of-state migration increase.

For Sanders, the legislation is a key moment to advance his long-standing socialist agenda. He declared the beginning of the end of “unprecedented income and wealth inequality” in the United States through such redistribution. The stated objective of erasing wealth inequality highlights how this is just the start and the end of wealth taxation.

As discussed in Rage and the Republic, none of this is new. Countries like France previously targeted the wealthy, triggering an exodus of taxpayers and their businesses from the country. It had to reverse its policy as the economy collapsed.

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Of course, many young people have no memory of such failures in the 20th Century. Instead, they are drawn to the very same soundbites used in France and Great Britain before disastrous experiments with socialism. With no experience with socialist economies, figures like socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani can entice voters to “the warmth of collectivism.”

There are legitimate concerns over the glaring and growing wealth gap in the United States. However, a wealth tax is neither a constitutional nor a practical way of addressing the problem.

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LIZ PEEK: Iran war could become the achievement that ensures Trump’s legacy

Democrats and their media enablers are doing everything possible to turn the American people against the war in Iran. They deny the rationale for attacking Tehran, they pretend that President Barack Obama’s nuke deal was anything but appeasement of a bloodthirsty anti-U.S. regime, and they have alarmed Americans that we face a devastating “energy crisis” because of President Donald Trump’s “war of choice.”

None of it is true.

Over the weekend, Democrat Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said on Fox News that Trump had failed to make the case that Iran posed an “imminent threat” to the U.S., implying that he saw no such threat. He also said Trump had picked “the wrong time” to carry out the mission.

The Virginia senator made those remarks the very same week that a Pakistani assassin paid by the mullahs in Tehran was convicted of attempting to murder Trump. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, who hired the would-be killer, had apparently targeted not only Trump, but other U.S. officials, including former President Joe Biden and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. For those potential victims, Iran posed an imminent threat. 

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It isn’t the first time the mullahs have sent spies to the U.S. to arrange the murder of Trump and others, like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Thankfully, those attempts have been foiled. Were we supposed to simply wait until Tehran took down a leading U.S. politician before hitting back? These were not rogue agents; they were hired by Iranian officials, making the country a legitimate target. 

Warner expressed concern about Iran’s store of ballistic missiles, which he contended would be difficult to eradicate. Does the senator imagine those weapons would be easier to eliminate as the stockpiles grew? Would it be safer to wait until Tehran developed intercontinental missiles which could strike the U.S.?

As Iran has fomented terror and attacks against the U.S. and Israel over the past 47 years, taking Americans hostage, arranging the murder of hundreds of G.I.s, what would have been the perfect time to fight back? For Democrats, including Biden and Obama, that time would never come.

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They prefer appeasement or, worse, imagine that a bloodthirsty regime that is content to slaughter its own citizens and routinely chants “Death to America” is only kidding. Obama and Biden seemed to believe that, given the proper incentives, Iran would forsake its terror mission and become a neutral partner. That’s like imagining a rattlesnake could become cuddly, if only fed enough Puppy Chow.

Obama, acting on his naïveté in 2015, famously oversaw the creation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multi-nation agreement that was supposed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Few saw the pact as a serious deterrent, given the loose verification requirements and permissions to continue enriching uranium for “peaceful” purposes. (For a major oil producer!)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress at the time, urging members to reject the agreement, noting that as part of the deal the U.S. and others would lift sanctions and funnel funds to Iran, which would go to building a nuclear stockpile and spreading terror. 

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Trump extricated the U.S. from the JCPOA in 2018. At the time, former Minnesota Republican Sen. Norm Coleman correctly summed up the deal, writing it “gave Iran a clear path to a nuclear weapon in 2025; no inspection of military sites and free rein for its nefarious deeds in the region — with over $100 billion to pay for it all!”  

Some Democrats continue to assert, like former Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes, that there was no need to confront Iran, because the JCPOA prevented the mullahs from building a nuclear weapon. This is straight-up baloney. Even the U.N. atomic watchdog, the IAEA, charged with ensuring Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA, finally admitted last year what everyone suspected — that Iran had cheated for years and not met the deal’s requirements. 

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, who hired the would-be killer, had apparently targeted not only Trump, but other U.S. officials, including former President Joe Biden and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. 

That body passed a resolution declaring that Iran was “not complying with its obligations regarding nuclear non-proliferation.” The IAEA said they could not guarantee that Iran’s program was “exclusively peaceful” and confessed that Tehran had hidden evidence of its enrichment program. 

In addition to arguing the merits of the war with Iran, Democrats are screaming that the conflict is bringing on an “energy crisis.” That is false. While tankers are piling up at the Strait of Hormuz, the world is enduring a temporary oil price surge. 

Iran’s blockage of the strait has caused Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar to shut in some production, since they have no place to store the oil. Given the supremacy of U.S. and allied airpower, it is unlikely this situation will endure. Once tankers start to pass through the Strait, oil prices will quickly plummet.

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Democrats’ opposition and criticism are falling flat. A new Rasmussen poll shows a majority of the country supports the attack on Iran. Democrats are hopeful that Trump’s “war of choice,” will hang like an albatross around GOP necks as we approach the midterm elections this fall. What will prove them wrong? Success, and common sense. 

Warner and many of his colleagues deny the solemn intonations of former presidents, including Obama and Biden, that Iran could not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon. Americans understand there was realistically only one way to stop them, and Trump had the guts to take that path.

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Democrats are afraid that the U.S. will win this war, that Iran will be forced to repudiate its reign of terror, and that President Trump’s legacy will include a remarkable transformation of the world’s most troublesome region — which began with the Abraham Accords during his first term. Imagine a prosperous, growing Middle East; imagine Gaza being rebuilt without the oppression of its people by Iran-backed Hamas.

Americans should cheer for success, for the Iranian people, for the world and for the U.S.

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MORNING GLORY: The military needs money from Congress to finish off Iran

On “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade,” Brian posed a key question to me: Would Congress pass a supplemental appropriation to cover the costs of the battle with Iran?

It should, but that doesn’t mean it will. The Democrats have collapsed into a defeatist, demoralized group of elected officials held together (when at all) by their hatred of President Trump.

It is hard to imagine the Congressional Democrats voting to supply the money necessary to actually win a decisive victory over Iran. Since President Obama ordered pallets of cash and precious metals worth $1.7 billion sent to Ayatollah Khamenei in January 2016 as part of the 2015 “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” (“JCPOA”), Democrats have been all about funding our enemy, not our troops.

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Four members of the House Democrats, and one Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted with the Republicans last week to block an attempt to fetter President Trump’s powers as commander in chief pursuant to the “War Powers Act.” That Act of Congress is unconstitutional, but a collision over it was avoided because Republicans control the Congress at least until January 2027.

What cannot be avoided is the need to resupply the mighty American military with the money to replenish its weaponry. Three routes are available to the Congressional Republicans.

First, it would be usual order in the days when Democrats supported the military and made vows to stop Iran by force if necessary, to pass a “supplemental” appropriation. This would simply be put before Congress at the request from Secretary Pete Hegseth for funding needed that was not anticipated in the 2026 regular appropriation. As the administration earnestly pursued diplomacy with Iran, the cost of the current battle was not provided for in last year’s budget. Democrats would not, however, provide the 60 votes needed in the Senate to push this forward.

Second, the Appropriations Committees of both the Senate and the House — ably led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma — could simply accelerate the regular appropriations process, but that takes most of the year. It is, however, also an election year. It is hard to imagine Democrats cooperating with Republicans before the November vote as they’d rather criticize everything the president and our troops accomplish than fund it and thereby acknowledge how extraordinary has been their overwhelming assault on the means for the Islamic Republic of Iran to project power.

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There is a third path: A second reconciliation process. This is the somewhat obscure budgeting process provided for by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Under its rules, simple majorities of the House and Senate may pass bills having to do with an agreed-upon budget.

“Reconciliation” was used to pass the Working Families Tax Cut of 2025 (otherwise known as the “One, Big Beautiful Bill.”) That was a big lift for the Senate and House Republicans because it included so many working parts as well as near unanimity among the GOP on the whole package as the majority was so narrow in the House. But, after months and months of negotiations and careful drafting by every committee involved with the final language coming from the Appropriations Committee, the “Big Beauty” did indeed pass.

The GOP House majority has narrowed further since then and until the battle with Iran began, few if any Republicans could see a second “reconciliation” working out in 2026.

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Now, however, a second reconciliation has to be on the table. The military’s need is urgent and so too is the need for the public to understand how vast the differences between the parties when it comes to protecting the national security of the United States.

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So it is time for the Budget Committees to agree on a topline that holds steady the 2026 funding levels (or reduces where appropriate and agreeable to both chambers) but to also include within the 2027 budget both the amount of billions a supplemental would provide as well as the regular appropriation for the military and then the massive additional funding President Trump has been calling for: an additional $500 billion for defense which will fund Golden Dome, the Golden Fleet and the new generation of weaponry needed desperately in this new era of war.

Reconciliation need not take all year. Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune should gather the caucuses they lead, lay out the need and press for an expedited and focused reconciliation process.

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Putting such a vote before both chambers will not only provide the funds needed to win the war and maintain our defenses and deterrence, it will also separate the members of both chambers who believe in victory from the defeatists and the appeasers. No more powerful data point can be provided to the electorate come November than a list of those who supported the troops and those who did not.

Reconciliation 2.0 is the way to go. Let’s see if the GOP seizes the opportunity.

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