Blog

US Military Boards 3rd Sanctioned Oil Tanker on the Indian Ocean, Pentagon Announces

U.S. military forces boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker on the Indian Ocean after it was tracked from the Caribbean Sea, officials announced Tuesday.

The Pentagon stated that U.S. military forces boarded the Bertha vessel overnight without incident, according to a post on X. Video footage included in the post shows military helicopters flying around the vessel.

“Three boats ran and now all three have been captured,” the Department of War stated. “The vessel was operating in defiance of President [Donald] Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and attempted to evade. From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it. No other nation has the global reach, endurance, or will to enforce sanctions at this distance.”

The post added that the military would continue to “deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”

The Bertha, which flies under a Cook Islands flag, is linked to Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited and falls under sanctions imposed in January 2020, according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas by U.S. forces in January, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration would move to enforce a quarantine of sanctioned oil tankers operating to and from Venezuela.

Keep reading

Judge Denies Tyler Robinson’s Request to Disqualify Utah Prosecutors from Kirk Murder Case

Judge Tony Graf on Tuesday denied Tyler Robinson’s request to disqualify Utah prosecutors in the Charlie Kirk murder case.

Last month Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson sought to disqualify Utah prosecutors on the case over a conflict of interest.

Robinson fatally shot TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025 during an event at Utah Valley University.

A child of one of the Utah County Attorney’s Office prosecutors was 85 feet away from Charlie Kirk and police rushed in to protect her.

Robinson was charged with:

– Count 1: Aggravated murder (capital offense)
– Count 2: Felony reckless discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury
– Count 3: Felony obstruction of justice for hiding the firearm
– Count 4: Felony obstruction of justice for discarding the clothing he wore during the shooting
– Count 5: Witness tampering for asking roommate to delete incriminating messages
– Count 6: Witness tampering for demanding trans roommate stay silent, and not speak to police
– Count 7: Commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child

Utah prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty.

Robinson, 22, has three public defenders: Kathy Nester, Michael Burt, and Richard Novak.

On Tuesday, Judge Graf denied Robinson’s motion to disqualify the Utah County prosecutors office.

“Because the defendant has not established a factual basis for a finding of a conflict of interest or an objective appearance of impropriety rising to a constitutional concern, his motion is respectfully denied,” Judge Graf said.

Keep reading

Did Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of a Neanderthal “Skull Cult” in This Ancient Spanish Cave?

Archaeologists in central Spain report the puzzling discovery of a collection of ancient animal skulls found deep within an ancient cave near Madrid.

The unusual find is believed to represent evidence of repeated activity carried out tens of thousands of years ago by Neanderthals who once lived in the region, and may offer compelling evidence of symbolic behavior previously thought to be unique to modern humans.

The discovery was detailed in recent research published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.

Discovery at the “Valley of the Neanderthals”

During excavations beginning in 2009, archaeologists uncovered a rich layer of Middle Paleolithic artifacts within Des-Cubierta Cave, located in Pinilla del Valle near Madrid, Spain. Since that time, the area has been dubbed the “Valley of the Neanderthals” for the remarkable ancient discoveries there.

Such finds include the recovery of several Mousterian stone tools—the primary culture of Middle Paleolithic Europe, as recognized by archaeologists—and a technological manifestation widely associated with Neanderthals in Europe.

Stone tools were not all that the cave had shielded against the elements for several tens of thousands of years: the additional presence of a concentration of animal crania added a layer of archaeological significance unlike those found at other European sites linked to the mysterious Neanderthals.

An Accumulation of Ancient Mammal Skulls

Altogether, portions of skulls associated with 35 large animals, including 28 cattle, five species of deer, and two ancient Ice Age rhinoceroses, were discovered in the cave. Curiously, no other skeletal remains from these animals were present, which included even jaws and facial bones that might normally be associated with the discovery of skulls from such animals under other circumstances.

Several questions lingered about whether natural conditions, such as flooding, might have carried the remains into the cave. However, the seemingly obvious implication, based on the very specific selection of only upper crania present within the cave, had been that the skulls were placed there intentionally at some point in the remote past. If so, why had the cave’s ancient visitors done this, and what might it potentially mean?

Evidence of a Neanderthal Skull Cult?

To answer such questions, the research team behind the investigation, led by archaeologist Lucía Villaescusa of the University of Alcalá, closely examined deposits in the cave, ranging from geological debris to fragmented bones. By mapping the distribution of artifacts and reconstructing bone fragments, the team discerned and analyzed preservation patterns to determine how the remains were brought to the cave.

During their investigations, the team found evidence of an ancient rockfall event that created a sloping, conical debris area. Significantly, it was only after this that evidence of skulls began to appear within the cave.

Keep reading

Scientists discover oldest form of writing in mysterious Stone Age engravings

The origins of writing aren’t set in stone.

The ancient cave peoples weren’t as illiterate as portrayed in popular media. Archaeologists have discovered Paleolithic glyphs in a German cave that could potentially push back the history of written communication by over 30,000 years, per a rock-solid study in the journal Proceedings Of The National Academy of Sciences.

According to the researchers, the symbols were engraved on artifacts that dated back some 40,000 years to the Stone Age, when early humans arrived in Europe from Africa and encountered the Neanderthals.

Despite their age, these ancient etchings boasted a complexity comparable to the early stages of the world’s oldest writing system, cuneiform, which originated around 5,000 years ago, the New Scientist reported.

“The artifacts date back to tens of thousands of years before the first writing systems,” exclaimed study co-author Ewa Dutkiewicz, an archaeologist at Berlin’s Museum of Prehistory and Early History, Popular Science reported.

Dutkiewicz and her team had came upon this writing revelation while investigating 260 relics discovered in cave repositories in the Swabian Jura, a mountainous region in Southwest Germany. This archaeological treasure trove included flutes, carvings of animals like mammoths, and figurines of animal-human hybrids.

They were etched with a total of 22 different recurring symbols, including a V-shaped notch and lines, crosses and dots.

Keep reading

Declassified CIA files reveal chilling blueprint to manipulate Americans’ minds through covert drugging with vaccines

A newly released CIA document reveals a chilling blueprint to manipulate minds through covert drugging experiments.

The report, added to the CIA’s reading room in 2025, details the government’s once top-secret Project Artichoke that ran from 1951 to 1956, focusing on behavior control, interrogation techniques and psychological manipulation.

The seven-page document, titled ‘Special Research for Artichoke,’ with an attachment labeled ‘Suggested Fields for Special Research Relative Artichoke,’ outlines proposals to develop chemicals capable of altering human behavior.

It discusses drugs designed for both immediate effects, like truth serums and long-term influence, potentially administered through food, water, alcohol or cigarettes.

Researchers also suggested that such substances could be disguised in medical treatments such as vaccinations or injections.

The CIA was also looking into methods beyond chemicals, listing hypnosis, sensory deprivation, gases and other psychological methods for interrogation and behavioral control.

Artichoke served as a precursor to the CIA’s MKUltra program, which later broadened mind-altering experiments on a larger scale.

Many files were destroyed in the 1970s, leaving the full extent of the research and how far it progressed unknown.

The document was declassified in 1983, but has resurfaced on social media, where users are shocked to see the CIA discussing methods for ‘drugging entire populations.’

Project Artichoke emerged during the early Cold War, a period marked by intense anxiety over communist powers and reports of brainwashing techniques used on American prisoners of war in Korea. 

Internal CIA memos suggested that US intelligence feared enemy nations had developed ways to control human thought and behavior, prompting the agency to explore its own capabilities.

The declassified document reveals the depth of this research, noting the need for a study ‘to determine what drugs are best suited for direct use on subjects along the lines of amytal and pentothal and which drugs are best for an indirect or long-range approach to subjects.’ 

The researchers involved in the secret program emphasized that long-term compounds should be capable of producing ‘an agitating effect (producing anxiety, nervousness, tension, etc.) or a depressing effect (creating a feeling of despondency, hopelessness, lethargy, etc.).’ 

They also outlined practical considerations for concealment, such as substances that could be introduced surreptitiously in ‘food, water, Coca-Cola, beer, liquor, cigarettes, etc.,’ highlighting the CIA’s focus on undetectable methods of influence. 

Moreover, the report recommended consulting with the Army Chemical Warfare Service, noting they have conducted ‘exhaustive studies along these lines’ that could provide specific guidance for the program.

Beyond drugs, Artichoke explored a wide range of psychological tools. 

Keep reading

Another Undeclared Unconstitutional War?

From the New York Times this morning:

In Israel, the two defense officials said that significant preparations were underway for the possibility of a joint strike with the United States, even though no decision has been made about whether to carry out such an attack. They said the planning envisions delivering a severe blow over a number of days with the goal of forcing Iran into concessions at the negotiating table that it has so far been unwilling to make.

The U.S. buildup suggests an array of possible Iranian targets, including short and medium range missiles, missile storage depots, nuclear sites and other military targets, such as headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The ultimate decision on scope of targets is largely up to Mr. Trump, U.S. officials said.

Strangely, nowhere in this article is it mentioned that U.S. military attacks on Iran legally require a Congressional declaration of war. Apparently, it’s all up to Mr. Trump and Israel whether Iran gets hammered soon.

We the people have absolutely no say. The U.S. Constitution simply doesn’t matter.

Iran poses no direct threat to U.S. national security. There is no clear and present danger; no defensible reason to launch yet another attack on Iran. Yet it seems those attacks will soon be coming, as long as Israel has something to say about this (and that country most certainly does).

Why war with Iran? Apparently for “regime change,” apparently for the oil, and apparently for Israel.

A diplomatic settlement appears to be a long shot here. Perhaps more like a “Hail Mary” pass.

No matter how unconstitutional, no matter how unnecessary to national defense, war always seems to find a way. I sure hope I’m wrong here.

Keep reading

New York’s First Free Grocery Store Shows Yet Again That Socialism Doesn’t Work

Comrade Zohran Kwame Mamdani has been mayor of New York City for nearly eight weeks now, and he has not yet delivered on any of his lofty promises; instead, all New Yorkers have gotten out of his tenure so far is a lot of garbage in the streets. The cryptocurrency outfit Polymarket even beat the boy mayor to the punch on one of his campaign promises, opening up what it billed as “New York’s First Free Grocery Store.” The store was privately funded, not city-run, and only operated for five days, but that was plenty of time to demonstrate yet again that socialism, like Mamdani itself, doesn’t deliver on its promises, and only leaves people angry and disappointed.

Enthusiasm was initially high. Fox News reported Thursday that “in a busy stretch of restaurants and boutiques in the West Village, hundreds of New Yorkers queued up outside a pop-up shop offering free groceries.”

The people in the long queue, however, for the most part went away disappointed. New York’s First Free Grocery Store hit the wall of reality quite early in the day. One woman recounted: “I literally got here at 9:00 … and basically what they said is that they ran out of tickets.” The tickets were necessary to gain entry into the store, and just as grocery store shelves were so often empty in the old Soviet Union, New York’s First Free Grocery Store quickly ran out of tickets.

One man commented bitterly: “They told me that they ran out of tickets. I couldn’t get no more food.… I couldn’t get access to the store.” A security guard, clearly already weary with the charade only an hour after it started, shouted just after 9 a.m.: “Let’s go people, let’s go. Go home. Do not linger, do not look, do not watch. Please go home.”

It was a scene that could have unfolded in Moscow in 1980 or Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. Aside from the gulags, the line is the most distinguishing feature of socialist life. Even the New York Times wrote about it in 1985: “So common and pervasive are the lines that they have evolved their own etiquette, even their own slang. Shoppers in a busy store can have their place held in one line while they stand in another. Women with small children pass freely to the front. Other privileged people, ranging from disabled war veterans to recipients of the title ‘Hero of Socialist Labor,’ are also allowed to go to the head of the line. Goods, in this world, are ‘handed out,’ not sold, as if to underline that the issue is not one of cost or choice, but simply one of finding the stuff.”

One principal reason why this is so is that socialism, by confiscating the worker’s wealth and making it useless for him to try to work harder to get ahead, removes all incentive to do anything more than the minimum that will keep him out of the gulag. A grocer in a capitalist society can get rich by providing cheap and plentiful foodstuffs for the masses. In a socialist society, the groceries are even cheaper: they’re free. But there is no incentive for the worker to ensure their supply, as there is no reward for him in doing so. And so in the land where groceries are free, going without basic foodstuffs becomes a fact of life. 

Keep reading

LEAKED TEXT SCANDAL: House Republicans Call on Rep. Tony Gonzales to Resign After Messages Allegedly Show Repeated Requests for Nude Photos from Staffer Who Later Died By Lighting Herself on Fire

Several conservative House Republicans are demanding the immediate resignation of Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) following the release of damning leaked text messages.

The scandal centers on a series of leaked communications between Gonzales and Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old regional district director for his office.

She died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire at her home; her death was ruled a suicide by the Bexar County medical examiner’s office.

As The Gateway Pundit reported last year, Rep. Tony Gonzales, a married father of six, is accused of carrying on an extramarital affair with his senior aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, who tragically died after dousing herself in gasoline and setting herself on fire.

35-year-old Aviles, a married mother of an eight-year-old son who was separated from her husband, Adrian Aviles, was often seen by Gonzales’s side. Such appearances included high-profile events, such as Elon Musk’s 2023 tour of the Mexico border in Eagle Pass.

Gonzales discussed the rumored affair at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, telling a reporter there was no veracity to any affair while also denying knowledge of Aviles’ passing.

“The rumors are completely untruthful. I am generally untrusting of these outlets,” Gonzales stated.

“‘Regina’s family has asked for privacy. If it was your family or any of our families, I would argue that you would want privacy as well, he added. “I don’t know exactly what happened. Nobody has contacted me. I haven’t contacted anyone.”

“I’m waiting for a final report. I think that would make a lot of sense.”

Gonzales, a so-called Republican who has repeatedly betrayed conservative principles by voting for radical gun control measures after the Uvalde tragedy and cozying up to the Biden administration on border issues, now finds himself at the center of a MeToo-style scandal that reeks of hypocrisy and moral decay.

The leaked texts, obtained by outlets like 24Sight News, paint a picture of a predatory boss exploiting his position for personal gratification.

In one exchange, Gonzales reportedly demanded “sexy pics” from Santos-Aviles late at night, inquiring about her favorite sexual positions and pushing her into uncomfortable territory while she was vulnerable and married.

Keep reading