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The Trump administration had threatened to punish countries who attempted to break his effective fuel blockade, aimed at weakening the communist government

The trading giant’s 500x increase in SLV shares has raised serious questions, especially given its history of market manipulation accusations across three different asset classes

After 33 years of marriage, Barack and Michelle Obama are navigating unfamiliar changes, and the former First Lady is revealing it.(snip) The “Becoming” author recently spoke candidly about where she and her husband stand today, describing their marriage as entering a period of rediscovery and focusing on themselves. Our kids are grown. They’re out,” Michelle said on Wednesday’s episode of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” podcast. “They’re out. We’re looking at each other like, ‘Hey, I remember you.’ Now I’m not mad about anything. I don’t need you to do anything for me.” The 62-year-old admitted that...

President Donald Trump said his preference is to “take the oil” from Iran — despite whatever gripes his critics would have about it — during an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday. “To be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the U.S. say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” Trump told the outlet. The outlet noted “such a move would involve seizing Kharg Island through which most of Iran’s oil is exported.” Trump has been calling for the U.S. to take the island...

The price of coffee is increasing faster than any other household grocery, and it’s not just tariffs driving the surge — bad weather, war and a frenzy of market traders are also to blame for the rise. Coffee prices have spiked by a stunning 18.4% in the last year, according to federal data from February. Most other household spending items — from groceries to cars to haircuts — don’t close to that increase rate, figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Those increases have affected both producers and consumers, and reflect a trend that has been running wild since...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~SSG Robby Miller Medal of Honor: Colleagues recall heroics of 'happy warrior' By Henry Cuningham Military editorThe ambush started with a shout of "Allah akbar!" - Arabic for "God is great."Then the bullets poured in on Staff Sgt. Robby Miller's Special Forces team and the Afghan soldiers with it.What Miller did on that remote, rocky Afghan battlefield that...

On Friday, Republican Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri became the 36th Republican -- and 57th House member -- to announce plans not to seek re-election, saying it was time to "pass the torch" to a new generation. In fact, more Republicans are retiring ahead of the midterms than at any point in nearly a century, according to an ABC News tally of retirement announcements and a review of historical data since 1930 compiled by the Brookings Institution. Heading for the exitsThat's a larger cohort than the 34 Republicans who did not run to keep their seats in 2018, when Republicans...

WASHINGTON — A security scare at Palm Beach International Airport Sunday prompted the Air Force to scramble F-16 fighter jets and deploy flares — hours before Air Force One was slated to fly President Trump back to DC. Authorities imposed a ground stop at the airport as they rushed to confront the civilian aircraft. The White House said that the security scare took place after authorities lost communication with a general aviation plane. “The civilian aircraft violated the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) at approximately 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The aircraft was safely escorted out of the area by NORAD...

A Frontier Airlines flight was moved to an isolated runway at Atlanta’s airport Sunday after a passenger made a bomb threat, prompting a law enforcement response before officials deemed the threat non-credible. Frontier Flight 2539 from Columbus, Ohio, had landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was taxiing to the gate when a passenger allegedly made the verbal threat. As a precaution and in coordination with local authorities, the aircraft was redirected to a remote location where law enforcement responded. The FBI and Atlanta Police Department told Fox News the incident remains under investigation, with the FBI taking the lead....

Join together with Fellow FREEPERS to Pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.'I Urge, then, First of All, that Requests, Prayers, Intercession and Thanksgiving be Made for Everyone: for Kings and All those in Authority that we May Live Peaceful and Quiet Lives in All Godliness and Holiness.' 1 Timothy 2:1-2Religion Forum Threads Labeled [Prayer] are Closed to Debate of Any Kind.

Democrats have received some unlikely good news that challenger Mary Peltola maintains a lead against incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, a Republican, after six months of polling. The most recent data revealed by Alaska Survey Research (ASR) found that Peltola has 52.4 percent support from respondents when undecided voters are removed from the equation, maintaining her majority lead from the October and January polls; this is a nearly five-point advantage over Sullivan, who has 47.6 percent support. Why It Matters Historically, the ruling party suffer significant losses if they also control the White House during the sitting president’s first...

... Asked on CNN whether ICE agents would leave airports once TSA officers start getting paid, Homan said, “We’ll see.” “It depends how many TSA agents come back to work, how many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plan of coming back to work. I’m working very closely with TSA administrator and the ICE director to decide what airport needs what,” he said.

The U.S. war on Iran set up Russia’s economy for a major rescue after oil prices soared after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But if President Vladimir Putin was expecting a huge windfall, that view may literally be going up in smoke. With one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies cut off, Russian oil suddenly became much more valuable. After trading at a steep discount to Brent crude, Urals oil nearly reached parity with the global benchmark. The U.S. also temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian crude, despite warnings that the move would provide a vital influx of revenue to...

A newly reported operation suggests Kyiv may have found another low-cost way to disrupt Russian forces away from the front line: heated insoles allegedly rigged with small explosive charges and sent through volunteer aid channels. According to Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi, operatives from Ukraine’s special services allegedly inserted explosive-filled heated insoles into shipments destined for Russian military units. The items were reportedly moved with the help of Russian volunteers and charitable foundations, allowing them to pass as ordinary humanitarian aid. That is what makes this sort of sabotage effective, Treston Wheat, chief geopolitical officer at Insight Forward, told me: it exploits...

No. 2 seed UConn completed a historic comeback in the Elite Eight on Sunday, roaring back from 19 down to beat No. 1 overall seed Duke 73-72 on a 3-point bomb from freshman wing Braylon Mullins with 0.4 seconds remaining. His shot, which came following a Duke turnover, gave UConn its first lead since the game's opening minute. The Huskies trailed 44-25 late in the first half before overcoming a horrendous 3-point shooting performance to reach the Final Four for a third time in the past four seasons. UConn started just 1 of 18 from beyond the arc but bullied...

.@VP: "I would bet every dollar that I own that the next time the Democrats have control of the Senate, they will break the filibuster, pack the Supreme Court, and destroy this country. We have to do it NOW in order to save the country."

Electricity has been cut in parts of the Iranian capital Tehran and in Alborz province after attacks on the area’s infrastructure, Iran’s state media cites the country’s ministry of energy as saying. Shrapnel hit a part of the electricity grid in Alborz province, causing power to be cut in several areas of Tehran and the city of Karaj. Authorities are working on reinstating it, state media adds.

The “American Bad Ass” rocker sent social media into a tailspin after posting footage of a military helicopter hovering just yards away from his Tennessee estate dubbed the “Southern White House.” But while the choppers provided the spectacle, Rock provided the sting, using the moment to deliver a brutal clap back at the Golden State on his X account over the weekend. “This is a level of respect that s— for brains Governor of California will never know,” Rock captioned the viral clip, taking a direct shot at Gavin Newsom. “God Bless America and all those who have made the...

The arrival of 2,500 Marines and another 2,500 sailors is keeping the number of American troops in the Mideast region at over 50,000 — roughly 10,000 more than usual — as President Trump decides on his next step in his month-old war in Iran. While it is still unclear just what the Marines, from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, will be charged with, U.S. officials say the president is weighing whether to try a larger attack, like venturing to seize an island or other ground as part of Mr. Trump’s effort to open the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway,...

Saturday's edition of MS NOW’s The Weekend: Primetime turned its “No Kings” protest coverage into a cringe reel. [snip] Soboroff began by literally grabbing a woman by the arm and pulling her into the camera frame—only to learn she was a federal employee who didn’t want to be identified. SOBOROFF: Come here. Come here. Come on! Come here! Come here! . . . What’s your name? PROTESTER: I work for the federal government. SOBOROFF: Oh… well… stand this way… Sorry to pull you in there like that. Yes—he actually had to apologize for physically dragging a protester into the shot....