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Beyond The Diamond, Phil Garner Dies At 76

Trump faces backlash after sharing controversial AI image on Truth Social

President Donald Trump is facing criticism after sharing an AI-generated image on Truth Social that appears to depict him in a religious-style portrayal. The post quickly circulated online and sparked backlash from critics. The controversy comes as Trump continues to trade sharp exchanges with Pope Leo XIV over the ongoing conflict in Iran and broader U.S. foreign policy. The Pope responded earlier, saying the Vatican’s calls for peace are rooted in the Gospel and not political opposition to the administration. He emphasized that his message is a broader appeal to end violence, not a direct attack on the president. Speaking separately, the Pope reiterated concerns about escalating global conflict and urged diplomacy amid rising tensions in the region. Trump fired back on social media and in remarks to reporters, calling the Pope too liberal and “weak on crime” and foreign policy, while also criticizing the Vatican’s stance on U.S. actions abroad, including Venezuela. The exchange marks a continued escalation in rhetoric between the White House and the Vatican as tensions remain high over international conflicts.

Trump & The Dept. Of Education

With Professor Nicholas Giordano, professor of Political Science at Suffolk Community College in New York and Campus Reform Higher Education Fellow | @PasReport

Faith & Freedom 250 - Episode 22: Why America's Founders Rejected Socialism

Faith & Freedom 250 - Episode 22: Why America's Founders Rejected Socialism Courtesy of The Herzog Foundation.

Trump Announces Blockade Of Hormuz

With Neil McCabe, National Political Reporter @ Real America’s Voice ||| @ReporterMcCabe

Eric Swalwell Drops Out Of The CA Gubernatorial Race

Eric Swalwell Drops Out Of The Cali Gubernatorial Race

Mamdani Marks 100 Days in Office, Outlines New City Plans

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked his first 100 days in office with a rally on Sunday, highlighting early actions and outlining new priorities for his administration. Mamdani told supporters his goal is to make City Hall more focused on working-class New Yorkers, saying government should “belong to more of its people than it did the day before.” He outlined new proposals including city-run grocery stores, with the first expected to open next year, and an expansion of the city’s covered trash bin program, which he said he hopes to roll out citywide by 2031. The mayor also reiterated his push to speed up bus service and eventually eliminate fares, though he acknowledged he will need support from state lawmakers to achieve that goal.

U.S. Strikes Drug-Smuggling Boats in Eastern Pacific

The U.S. military says it destroyed two boats suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people and leaving one survivor. Officials say the strikes are part of the Trump administration’s expanded campaign targeting what it describes as “narcoterrorists” operating in Latin America. The action comes as the U.S. military continues preparations for a possible naval blockade of Iranian ports, following weeks of conflict and failed ceasefire talks with Tehran. Saturday’s strikes bring the total number of people killed in similar U.S. operations to at least 168 since the campaign began in September.

Trump blasts Pope Leo XIV as 'weak on crime'

President Donald Trump is escalating tensions with Pope Leo XIV, taking aim at the pontiff in a fiery Truth Social post in which he called him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” Trump criticized the Pope’s positions on major global conflicts, including the war involving Iran, while defending his own administration’s policies on crime, immigration, and the economy. In the post, Trump also accused the Pope of aligning too closely with liberal political views and suggested disagreement over U.S. military actions abroad, including in Venezuela. The comments come as Pope Leo continues to publicly call for peace and caution in global conflicts, warning against escalating violence and urging diplomacy over war. The exchange marks a rare and increasingly sharp public dispute between a sitting U.S. president and the leader of the Catholic Church, as tensions continue to grow over foreign policy and the ongoing war in the Middle East.

US blockade of Strait of Hormuz begins after failed Iran talks

The United States says it has begun a maritime blockade of Iran, restricting all shipping traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal waters after weekend ceasefire talks failed to produce an agreement. President Donald Trump announced the move would take effect at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, saying the action is intended to prevent Iran from exporting oil and to tighten economic pressure amid the ongoing conflict. “Other nations are working, so Iran will not be able to sell oil,” Trump said in remarks outlining the policy shift. He added that U.S. forces would intercept vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. “Well, we notice that what we see and what I think is maybe my idea, maybe not, I don’t know. But there are many boats heading toward our country to fill up with oil and then go and take it. So they’re not going to go through the Hormuz Strait,” the president said. Iran responded by warning that any threat to its ports would be met with reciprocal action, saying that no port in the Persian Gulf or Gulf of Oman would be safe if Iranian shipping routes are targeted. The escalation comes after negotiations between the United States and Iran broke down over the weekend, leaving a fragile truce and broader peace efforts in doubt as tensions continue to rise across the region.

JD Vance: Iran talks end without deal after 21 hours

Vice President J.D. Vance says weekend negotiations with Iran ended without an agreement, despite what he described as hours of substantive discussions between both sides. The talks reportedly lasted 21 hours, but officials confirmed no final deal was reached as of Sunday. “We’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians, that’s the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance said. He said the key issue remains Iran’s long-term nuclear intentions, adding that the U.S. is seeking a clear commitment that Tehran will not develop nuclear weapons now or in the future. “The simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term? We haven’t seen that yet, we hope that we will,” he said. The lack of agreement comes amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran as diplomatic efforts continue alongside broader regional conflict concerns.

U.S. Will Begin Blockade Of Iranian Ports Monday At 10 a.m. ET

President Donald Trump said on Sunday the U.S. Navy would start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after marathon talks with Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war, jeopardizing a fragile two-week ceasefire. The U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces would begin implementing the blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 a.m. ET on Monday. It would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," a CENTCOM statement on X said. U.S. forces would not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, and additional information would be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade, it said. Trump said in a post on social media the U.S. would take action against every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran, and begin destroying mines that he said the Iranians had dropped in the Strait, a choke point for about 20% of global energy supplies that Iran has blocked. "No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," Trump wrote, adding: "Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!" Iran's Revolutionary Guards responded to Trump by warning that military vessels approaching the Strait will be considered a ceasefire breach and dealt with harshly and decisively, underlining the risk of a dangerous escalation. Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led his country's delegation to the talks along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, said Trump's new threats would have no effect on Iran. "If you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic," he said in comments carried by state media. The weekend talks in Islamabad, which followed the announcement of a ceasefire on Tuesday, were the first direct U.S.-Iranian meeting in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Araqchi said Iran had engaged in good faith but had "encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade" when just inches away from an "Islamabad MoU." "Zero lessons earned," he added. "Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity." Speaking after the talks, Vice President JD Vance, who headed the U.S. delegation, said: "The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America." Six weeks of fighting has killed thousands, roiled the global economy and sent oil prices soaring as Iran prevented traffic through the Strait. Oil prices jumped above $100 per barrel early on Monday. Trump said on Sunday the price of oil and gasoline ?may remain high through November's midterm elections, a rare acknowledgement of the potential political fallout from the war. A few hours after Trump's comments, Qalibaf took to social media to post a map of Washington-area gasoline prices and the comment: "Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called 'blockade', Soon you'll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas." The dollar jumped against other major currencies on Sunday, as investors sought the relative safety of the currency after the talks failed to yield a deal, plunging markets into a seventh week of uncertainty. In an interview with Fox News after his post about the Strait, Trump nevertheless said he believed Iran would continue to negotiate and called the discussions "very friendly." "I do believe they're going to come to the table on this, because nobody can be so stupid as to say, ‘We want nuclear weapons,’ and they have no cards," Trump told Fox News from his golf course near Miami, Florida. Trump also said NATO allies he has criticized for failing to back the war he launched along with Israel on February 28 wanted to help with the operation in the Strait. There was no immediate comment from Washington's allies. A U.S. official said Iran had rejected Washington's call for an end to all uranium enrichment, the dismantling of all major enrichment facilities and the transfer of highly enriched uranium. The two sides also failed to reach agreement on the U.S. demand that Iran cease funding for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis as well as fully open the Strait, the official added. Qalibaf blamed the U.S. for not winning Tehran's trust, despite his team offering "forward-looking initiatives." Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, who discussed the talks in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Tehran wanted "a balanced and fair agreement." "If the United States returns to the framework of international law, reaching an agreement is not far off," he told Putin, Iranian state media reported. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said "excessive" U.S. demands had hindered reaching a deal. Other Iranian media said there was agreement on a number of issues, but the Strait and Iran's nuclear program were the main sticking points. Despite the stalemate, three supertankers fully laden with oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, shipping data showed. They appeared to be the first vessels to exit the Gulf since the ceasefire deal.

U.S. Negotiators Leaving Without A Peace Deal With Iran

Vice President JD Vance said that his negotiating team was leaving Pakistan after not reaching a deal with Iran after 21 hours of negotiations. Vance cited shortcomings in the talks and said Iran had chosen not to accept American terms, including to not build nuclear weapons. "The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," Vance said. "So we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are." Vance said he talked with U.S. President Donald Trump half a dozen times during the talks. The talks in Islamabad were the first direct U.S.-Iranian meeting in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The outcome could determine the fate of the fragile two-week ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20% of global energy supplies that Iran has blocked since the war began. The conflict has sent global oil prices soaring and killed thousands of people. In a post on X, Iran's government said that the talks had concluded and technical experts from both sides would exchange documents. "Negotiations will continue despite some remaining differences," the post added, though it did not say when they would restart. Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi for two hours before a rest, according to a source from mediator Pakistan. The Iranian delegation arrived on Friday dressed in black in mourning for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others killed in the war. They carried shoes and bags of some students killed during the U.S. bombing of a school next to a military compound, the Iranian government said. The Pentagon has said the strike is under investigation but Reuters has reported that military investigators believe the U.S. was likely responsible for it. "There were mood swings from the two sides and the temperature went up and down during the meeting," another Pakistani source said in reference to the first round of talks. For the U.S.-Iran talks, Islamabad, a city of more than 2 million people, was locked down with thousands of paramilitary personnel and army troops on the streets. Pakistan's mediating role is a remarkable transformation for a nation that was a diplomatic outcast a year ago. As the talks started, the U.S. military said it was "setting the conditions" to start clearing the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is central to the ceasefire talks. The U.S. military said two of its warships had passed through the strait and conditions were being set to clear mines, while Iran's state media denied any U.S. ships had transited the waterway. Before the talks began, a senior Iranian source told Reuters the U.S. had agreed to release frozen assets in Qatar and other foreign banks. A U.S. official denied agreeing to release the money. As well as the release of assets abroad, Tehran is demanding control of the Strait of Hormuz, payment of war reparations and a ceasefire across the region including in Lebanon, according to Iranian state TV and officials. Tehran also wants to collect transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's stated goals have shifted, but as a minimum he wants free passage for global shipping through the strait and the crippling of Iran's nuclear enrichment program to ensure it cannot produce an atomic bomb. U.S. ally Israel, which joined the February 28 attacks on Iran that launched the war, has also been bombing Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and says that conflict is not part of the Iran-U.S. ceasefire. Mutual distrust is high.