x01b Radar Archives
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Many people were alarmed by an appalling viral video posted over the weekend of an Israeli soldier desecrating a statue of Christ Crucified in Southern Lebanon. Others, however disgusted by the act, argued that he was simply a “bad apple” in the Israel Defense Forces.
However, there may be more “bad apples” than originally thought, as footage of similar attacks on Christian holy sites have resurfaced in the wake of the alarming photograph.
The monastery, which has roots dating back to the 15th century, was razed by Israeli forces during the 2006 Lebanon War.
More recorded examples of IDF soldiers apparently acting inappropriately in and around holy sites have emerged online, lending credence to the idea that these incidents are not anomalous but rather represent a pattern of behavior.
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- Pentagon details record $1.5 trillion budget request The Washington Post
- Trump wants $1.5tn for the Pentagon – and cuts to healthcare and housing | Steven Greenhouse The Guardian
- Honorable Jay Hurst and Lt. Gen. Steven Whitney Hold Press Briefing on the Department’s Fi U.S. Department of War (.gov)
- DOD moves to make its largest-ever investment in drones and anti-drone weapons DefenseScoop
- Pentagon officials broadly detail $55 billion drone plan under DAWG Breaking Defense
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A federal grand jury indicted the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on Tuesday for allegedly making fraudulent payments to racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the charges. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.”
According to a Justice Department press release, the SPLC — which has often put targets on the backs of nonviolent conservative organizations by falsely labeling them as “hate groups” — has been charged with 11 counts of “wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.” Per the presser, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division “filed two forfeiture actions to recover alleged proceeds of the organization’s fraud scheme.”
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With security uncertain, many vessels have been forced to reroute, often taking longer journeys around the Cape of Good Hope instead of using shorter routes through the Middle East and Suez Canal.
These diversions come at a cost, including high fuel consumption and ultimately higher prices for consumers, Kazakos said.
“Shipping is a resilient industry that has been for centuries and will always be. We’re always going to find ways to improvise, adapt, overcome,” he added.
“However, we will very much like to see the opening of all the waterways … because that is the main preferred route, in order to maximise efficiency for the service we provide, and at the same time to be reliable to the customers we serve.”
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A NUCLEAR chief has said investigators looking into the disappearances of 11 space scientists will uncover “crazy stuff” about the cases.
Eleven people working close to US space programmes have died or gone missing recently, sparking serious concern.
US President Donald Trump called the deaths “pretty serious stuff”, but added that they were “hopefully a coincidence”.
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As the ceasefire between the United States and Iran winds down, heated words filled the air.
“Iran has Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!” President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social.
He did not provide details about the alleged infractions.
Meanwhile, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, rebuked Trump for “imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire,” according to CNBC. He was referring to Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports.
He accused Trump of trying to turn peace talks into “a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.”
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Disgraced former Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is facing renewed scrutiny after campaign finance records revealed extensive spending on alcohol delivery services, luxury travel, and personal expenses funded by donors over multiple years.
According to reports citing Federal Election Commission data, Swalwell’s campaign made more than 100 separate purchases from alcohol delivery service Drizly between 2020 and 2024.
The purchases account for roughly a quarter of all such campaign-related spending nationwide during that period.
Campaign Funds Used for Alcohol, Travel, and Luxury Expenses
After Drizly ceased operations, records show Swalwell’s campaign continued similar spending patterns through Uber Eats, with more than 220 transactions totaling over $19,000.
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Democrats hope gerrymandering Virginia will give them the edge they need to win back the House. But Tuesday’s special election is proving more competitive than they’d like.
Tight polling and concerns over voter turnout in an atypical April election have many Democratic party strategists and officials preparing for a close finish.
“I always thought this campaign would be close [and] 24 hours out, I believe that to be the case,” Democratic strategist Jared Leopold said on Monday, before the final day of voting.
“Anytime you’re on the ‘yes’ side of a referendum, you’ve got the burden of proof,” he added. “It doesn’t matter what the referendum is, but anytime you’re arguing for ‘yes,’ the other side is going to be arguing for the status quo.”
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A majority of voters support the SAVE America Act and want Congress to pass it before the midterms in November, a March Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found. The majority of respondents also support other election integrity requirements, like counting ballots within 24 hours after Election Day, removing noncitizens from the voter rolls, and even allowing states to share voting records with the Department of Homeland Security.
The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll is conducted monthly. Last month’s survey, conducted March 25-26, included 2,009 respondents identified as “registered voters.”
Much of leftist media outlets’ coverage surrounding the SAVE America Act — which would require documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote and voter ID in federal elections — fearmongers that the legislation would essentially disenfranchise voters en masse by enacting these common-sense safeguards. The recent Harvard/Harris poll suggests that Americans aren’t as worried about that as the corporate press would have you think.
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Biden-era FBI officials pressed forward with an investigation into Republican members of Congress after top prosecutors privately agreed central allegations lacked credibility, documents obtained by Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley show.
Based largely on claims made by then-Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the FBI launched a probe in January 2021 to assess whether several Republican members assisted individuals or groups who organized the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, records reveal.
“Operation Rampart 12 is yet another example in which Republicans were unfairly targeted and secretly subjected to an invasive investigation by the Biden DOJ and FBI,” Grassley told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“If not for my investigative work and brave whistleblowers, we wouldn’t know about FBI agents’ and DOJ prosecutors’ disgraceful efforts to try and destroy Republicans,” Grassley said. “My Democrat colleagues want to ignore these facts and evidence and defend the fired officials who participated in Biden’s lawfare. I’ll continue working to expose the widespread constitutional abuses that occurred under the Biden administration, because transparency brings accountability.”
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Dr. Jordan Peterson is battling a serious neurological condition as well as symptoms of akathisia, according to a new update from his daughter, Mikhaila Fuller.
“Every day for the last year has been hell,” Fuller said in a video. “I’ve cried every single day.”
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Key Takeaways
- The U.S. Department of Education proposed a rule to hold colleges accountable for graduates’ earnings, introducing an ‘earnings test’ to ensure graduates earn more than those without a degree.
- Programs failing to meet the earnings threshold, with bachelor’s graduates earning less than high school graduates, would lose eligibility for federal student loans.
- The proposal aims to address rising student debt, emphasizing that taxpayer subsidies should only support programs that yield better outcomes for graduates.
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Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) remains sidelined due to an undisclosed medical issue, extending a weeks-long absence that is tightening the margin for House Republicans at a critical moment.
According to reports, Kean has not cast a vote since early March and has now missed dozens of roll-call votes, with no clear timeline for his return.
Extended Absence Raises Questions
Kean’s office confirmed he will miss additional votes this week but has provided limited details about his condition.
A spokesman said the congressman is “expected to be totally fine” and will be “back to a full schedule soon,” but offered no further updates.
Kean has been absent from public view for more than a month, with no recent in-person appearances.
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Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz is officially breaking with Democrats after more than six decades, saying the party he once backed has taken a turn he can’t support.
The longtime liberal announced he is registering as a Republican, pointing to what he described as growing “hostility” toward Israel and a broader ideological shift inside the Democratic Party.
Dershowitz made clear he’s not just switching labels; he plans to get involved in stopping Democrats from reclaiming power in Washington.
“I intend to work hard to prevent the Democrats from gaining control of the House… and Senate, and I urge those who share my concerns about the increasing influence of radicalisms in the Democratic Party to vote, campaign and contribute for continued Republican control of Congress.”
The prominent constitutional lawyer has spent years warning that Democrats are drifting too far left, especially on foreign policy and civil liberties.
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There appears to be an expulsion fever occurring in the House of Representatives. Republican Tony Gonzales (TX-23) and Democrat Eric Swalwell (CA-14) resigned their seats, rather than face this particular fate. Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20) and Republican Cory Mills (FL-07) remain bloodied, but unbowed.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s day of reckoning comes Tuesday. The House Ethics Commission has found her in violation of 25 charges and recommended sanctions. Republican Ana Paulina Luna (FL-13) plans to bring a resolution to the floor to have Cherfilus-McCormick expelled.
She will be expelled for corruption TOMORROW. Enjoy your last day in Congress Sheila! https://t.co/8odvhIGBAq
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) April 20, 2026
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-01) has Republican Cory Mills (FL-03) in her sights, and she’s locked and loaded.
I filed a resolution to expel Cory Mills from Congress.
Last time, my resolution to censure him failed because he cut a deal with Ilhan Omar to save his own skin.
My new resolution outlines how Mills misrepresented his military service, sexual misconduct, campaign finance… pic.twitter.com/uUOppMK47g
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) April 20, 2026
I filed a resolution to expel Cory Mills from Congress.
Last time, my resolution to censure him failed because he cut a deal with Ilhan Omar to save his own skin.
My new resolution outlines how Mills misrepresented his military service, sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations and illicit involvement in federal contracts as a member of Congress, among other charges.
Swalwell is gone. Gonzales is gone. Mills is next.
We need to have the moral courage to do what’s right and expel him.
News Source
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Capitol Hill has never been a particularly ethical place, but complaints of wrongdoing on both sides of the aisle have led to a recent spike in efforts to remove sitting lawmakers.
One new development involves Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), who is facing a House Ethics Committee decision as dozens of her fellow Democrats seem eager to join Republicans in voting to expel her.
While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) only said the party will “follow the facts and apply the relevant law” when it comes to allegations that Cherfilus-McCormick laundered millions of COVID-relief dollars, other Democrats were more decisive.
As Axios reported:
“The charges and examination are incredibly, incredibly serious and I think we have to hold ourselves to high standards here in the Congress,” Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) told Axios.
- “We need to make sure we can tell the American people that they can trust in their lawmakers,” said Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.).
- Reps. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), John Larson (D-Conn.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) all told Axios they expect to vote for expulsion if that is what the Ethics Committee recommends.
- “I’m going to take their recommendation very seriously,” said Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine).
- Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) went one step further, telling Axios expulsion is “something we should take a look at seriously even if it’s not” what the committee recommends.
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So far, America has remained ahead in the new space race. But its biggest rival is making continual steps to catch up. China announced another step in that direction with the unveiling of its first ever reusable five-meter-wide composite propulsion module, announced in a press release on April 11th.
The module was designed by the China Aerospace and Technology Corporation (CASC), the primary state contractor for the Chinese space program. Specifically, it was developed at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), which is also known as the First Academy of the CASC. It marks the largest integrated composite structure ever manufactured domestically for China’s aerospace sector. The first prototype was completed in just seven months, from initial design to delivery, underscoring the rapid development timeline.
Composites are becoming a critical feature of modern launch systems. Traditional metal components simply weigh too much. The more structural weight a launch vehicle has to carry into orbit, the less cargo or fuel it is able to carry due to the tyranny of the rocket equation. Composites are significantly lighter while still having the physical properties of metal, allowing for more payloads, or, crucially, more fuel for reentry burns.
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North Korea test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, South Korea‘s military said, the latest in a recent flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state.
The Sunday launches add to a series of weapons tests Pyongyang has carried out in recent weeks, including ballistic missiles, anti-warship cruise missiles and cluster munitions.
Read moreNorth Korea tests nuclear-capable rocket launchers amid US-South Korea military drills
“Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea from the Sinpo area of North Korea at around 6:10 am (GMT 21:10),” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to a body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
“The missiles flew approximately 140 kilometres (86.9 miles), and South Korean and US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications,” it added.
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The White House recalibrated its approach to immigration in the wake of the backlash against the death of two Americans at the hands of federal officials in Minneapolis, shifting leadership and softening its rhetoric. Yet three months later, Americans’ views of President Donald Trump’s deportations campaign remain broadly negative.
New results from The POLITICO Poll show that even as the spotlight has moved away from Trump’s mass deportations campaign and onto issues such as the economy and the war in Iran, public opinion has hardly changed, underscoring how difficult it will be for the administration to reset the immigration narrative.
In the poll conducted April 11 to April 14, half of Americans — including one quarter of his 2024 voters — said Trump’s mass deportations campaign, including his widespread deployment of ICE agents, is too aggressive. Roughly a quarter said his immigration posture is about right, while 11 percent say it is not aggressive enough.