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Islamic State (IS) has released an audio message it says is from its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which if confirmed would be the first in months. The message urges Muslims to take up arms in its cause and emigrate to the "caliphate" it has proclaimed in areas of Syria and Iraq. Analysts say the voice appears to be Baghdadi's but this is not verified. Baghdadi's fate has been unclear amid reports of air strikes by the US-led coalition that is opposing IS. The message was released by the group's al-Furqan media outlet and appeared on several websites. The speaker says:...

So. There's a video out there and a bunch of blogs mentioning that Marines are practicing take-down and control procedures of uncooperatives inside detention camps.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)—Since the Great Recession ended in 2009, commentators have often railed against an economy that seemed to only create lowest-wage jobs. But a new study of labor market data by the Kansas City Fed has found the opposite is true. The study concludes that job growth has been strong for middle-skill and high-skill workers, but has remained weak for low-skill jobs. Middle-skill jobs rebounded in the first two years of the recovery and high-skilled jobs started to return in 2012, according to the study, which analyzed quarterly data from the Labor Department’s household survey. Growth in the upper two...

After Pope Francis moved to recognize a Palestinian state, some gung-ho defenders of Israel suggested the pontiff should stick to preaching and stay out of politics. “It’s interesting how the Vatican has gotten so political when ultimately the Vatican ought to be working to lead people to Jesus Christ and salvation, and that’s what the Church is supposed to do,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), a hawkish defender of Israel. It wasn’t just Duncan. Several House conservatives seemed exasperated that Francis, who will address Congress this fall, approved the Vatican’s recognition of Palestine as a state. On Wednesday, critics said...

A lot’s been made over the millennial generation and their religious life. Why they go to church. Why they don’t go to church. What they want. What they hate. I’m going to do something different here. I’m not going to cite Barna. I’m not going to quote Rachel Held Evans. I’m not going to link to any articles or blog posts. I’m just going to tell you what’s true for me, and what I’ve seen to be true of others like me. I am one of those rascally millennials, by the way. One of those enigmatic, paradoxical, media-dependent, coffee-drinking young...

Prayer ping! Prayers up for the folks in Canada who are marching for life in Ottawa and other places today! G-d bless our neighbors to the North!

“I would have invaded Iraq, and you would have too.” That is literally what Jeb Bush told Megyn Kelly in an interview set to air tonight on “Fox So-Called News.” Amazing, right? Up until this point, Jeb has done everything he can to separate himself from his brother George W. Bush’s disastrous eight years as president. Just a few months ago, for example, he went out of his way to say during a speech at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs that he was his “own man” and that his family’s track record didn’t say anything about what he would...

In the second part of an exclusive interview with B&B Media, Professor Walter E. Williams explains how the government’s ability to force one individual into giving his or her property (taxes) to another is, in essence, slavery.

After several days of shifting responses panned by Republicans and Democrats alike, Jeb Bush has arrived at his final judgment on the 2003 invasion of Iraq: No, he would not have authorized the war had he known the Iraqis did not have weapons of mass destruction. "Knowing what we now know, I would not have engaged," Bush said during a visit to Arizona on Thursday. "I would not have gone into Iraq." The former Florida governor, a Republican who's weighing a 2016 presidential bid, suggested the thousands of Americans who lost their lives in the war did not die in...

WASHINGTON – Congress is sending President Obama a bill that would give lawmakers the power to review and potentially reject a nuclear deal with Iran. The House overwhelmingly passed the bill on a 400 to 25 vote. The legislation, which Obama has said he would sign, gives Congress a chance to weigh in on what could be a significant international accord aimed at getting Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Six men have been arrested in the Republic of Ireland after police discovered bomb making equipment close to where Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall are due to visit next week. Explosives and weapons were recovered at various locations as Irish police carried out more than 20 raids aimed at disrupting dissident Republican activity.

For Brandon Bostian, the engineer in the fatal Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia this week, a childhood passion for trains turned into a career. Growing up outside Memphis, Mr. Bostian was an “unabashed nerd,” said Lee Allen, his best friend through middle school and high school. “When you heard the name Brandon Bostian, the first thing you would think is trains,” Mr. Allen said on Thursday. “His walls were covered with pictures, he had several model sets. Sometimes we’d just go down to the tracks that ran through town and watch trains and shoot the breeze.” Mr. Bostian was at the...

Wednesday, May 13, 2015 Schrödinger's Jihad Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog The great paradox of the War on Terror is that we are fighting an enemy that doesn’t exist. We are told incessantly that there is no such thing as a Muslim terrorist. There may be a tiny minority of violent extremists, but they are only a tiny minority of no importance whatsoever. And yet we’ve been at war with this same infinitesimally tiny minority for decades. This tiny minority has killed thousands of Americans. It has the support of entire governments in tiny countries like...

ox News Channel is often the subject of critique by hosts of satirical programs like “The Daily Show.” Now, the network will launch a program that features monologues and parodies all its own. The 21st Century Fox-owned outlet said it would launch a “comedic news hour” on Sunday nights hosted by Greg Gutfeld. “The Greg Gutfeld Show” will debut on May 31st at 10 p.m.,and will feature “parodies on current events, conversation on key issues and signature monologues showcasing Gutfeld’s eclectic humor,” the network said Thursday. Gutfeld is also expected to interview newsmakers, culture critics, and media personalities on major...

Iran bill passes, Hezbollah sanctions bill that passed the House last July but was blocked in the Senate also passes.

It sure was a productive Tuesday for Ed Schultz at his federal trial where he’s being sued for breach of partnership. He managed to make a huge liar out of both himself and MSNBC President Phil Griffin.Schultz’s bid to convince jurors that he got his MSNBC show without any help from NBC sound engineer and producer Michael Queen proved rather deceitful thanks to his own electronic footprints.Worse yet, the behemoth broadcaster’s ongoing attempt to turn the courtroom into his own little TV studio may have faltered when he walked into plaintiff attorney Catfish Abbott’s trap.More evidence also emerged about just...

A redheaded high school student in England has been banned from classes for being too ginger, the devastated teen said. Emily Reay, 17, of Cumbria, was scolded by teachers who told her she couldn't come back to the Trinity School in Carlisle until she gets rid of her natural bright auburn locks or "tones it down considerably," according to reports. "I was very angry at first, and then burst into tears," she told The Telegraph. "I've had the same color for the past three years, and nobody at school has commented on it." The burgeoning musician's hair, which has...

New author Reba Riley's debut memoir "Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome" wrestles with spiritual injuries and the power of name. After abandoning the conservative evangelical faith of her childhood, Riley felt anger toward all religion. But it was giving faith a second chance -- trying 30 religions in a year, to be exact -- that opened the door to healing. The Cincinnati writer will be in Portland May 17 sharing her story alongside the bestselling author of "The Shack" at the "Where's God When..." event in Southeast Portland.

Troubled Hollywood model, singer and actress Lindsay Lohan was spotted carrying the Holy Quran as she stepped out of a children’s center in Brooklyn, NY. LindsAy was photographed holding the Quran after completing her first day of community service at the children’s center. The American actress of Irish and Italian descent was raised as a Catholic. According to reports, the 28-year-old has embarked on an “emotional detox” by giving up alcohol and dating. Earlier this year, she uploaded an Instagram image of a quote from the Quran but soon after deleted it. Lindsay has experimented with various religions in her...

One thing billionaire George Soros and his 51-year-old son Robert appear to share is an interest in much-younger women. On a flight back from the Venice Biennale to New York on Sunday, Robert was seen making out with his new 29-year-old girlfriend Jamie Singer throughout most of the flight, in front of his soon-to-be ex-wife who was seated just a few rows back, according to the New York Post. Robert's father George Soros, the 84-year-old Hungarian-American business magnate, married a woman exactly half his age in a lavish ceremony two years agoRobert, who serves as the president of the family's...