A new suspect theory connects Marvin Margolis, a World War II veteran, to both the Zodiac and Black Dahlia murders, raising questions about these notorious cold cases. Margolis and the New Theory In a twist that has caught the attention of both law enforcement and the public, Marvin Margolis, a World War II Navy corpsman, has been named a suspect in the Zodiac and Black Dahlia murder cases. This revelation comes from an amateur code-breaker, George L. Baber, who claims to have solved the Zodiac’s Z13 cipher, revealing the name “Marvin Merrill,” an alias used by Margolis. The theory suggests that Margolis, a former USC pre-med student, had the anatomical knowledge necessary for the gruesome murder of Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia. The theory has gained traction due to Margolis’s documented connection to Short, whom he lived with for a brief period before her murder in 1947. Despite initial police clearance, Margolis remained a top suspect in the district attorney’s files. His medical background and the cryptographic link claimed by Baber have added weight to the theory, although law enforcement has not officially closed either case based on these findings. Cryptanalytic Claims Baber’s claim hinges on the alleged deciphering of the Zodiac’s Z13 cipher, which supposedly reveals Margolis’s alias. This cryptanalytic effort was supported by two retired LAPD homicide detectives and former NSA crypto-mathematicians, who back the solution’s methodology. The theory also involves a 1992 sketch by Margolis, which is said to embed the words “ELIZABETH” and “ZODIAC,” interpreted as a deathbed confession. While these elements have sparked widespread interest and debate, they remain speculative without official confirmation. The use of AI in Baber’s cryptanalysis represents a modern approach to tackling these cold cases, enabling the generation and filtering of millions of potential names. However, skepticism remains about the reliability of such methods, and the theory has yet to gain formal acceptance from the authorities or result in any forensic breakthroughs. Public and Law Enforcement Reactions The new theory has reignited public and media interest in the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases, often considered two of America’s most infamous unsolved mysteries. Retired detectives Rick Jackson and Paul Dostie Roberts have publicly stated their belief in the theory, citing overwhelming circumstantial evidence. However, the lack of a public statement from official law enforcement agencies leaves the cases open, with no definitive closure in sight. As the debate continues, the implications of Margolis’s potential involvement have prompted calls for a review of forensic evidence and case timelines. While the theory remains unofficial, its impact on public perception and cold-case investigations is undeniable, highlighting the enduring intrigue of these historical mysteries. Sources: SF Chronicle: Black Dahlia and Zodiac Killings New Theory Patch: Zodiac Killer Tied to Black Dahlia Murder LA Times: Black Dahlia and Zodiac Killings Connected by One Killer Theory

Dictator and narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in a thrilling nighttime raid on his palace in Caracas, Venezuela, in an operation codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve. The mission involved over 150 aircraft launched from around 20 bases across the hemisphere. It neutralized much of Venezuela’s air defenses, cut power in Caracas, and ended with Delta Force troops detaining Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as they attempted to reach a safe room. Within hours, they were flown to New York, where they are now being held to face narco-terrorism charges, among other things. Most Democrats and left-wing media figures have derided President Donald Trump’s actions as an unconstitutional, unauthorized declaration of war against Venezuela. But the fact is that the Biden administration and the Trump administration have never recognized Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. And the Biden administration even put a $25 million bounty on Maduro’s head for information leading to his arrest and conviction. You see, this was not a declaration of war at all. This was an operation to take down not the leader of a sovereign nation but the leader and enabler of a network of deadly cartels that have imported hundreds of tons of cocaine and other drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States, killing countless Americans. This was an operation to arrest a narco-terrorist, not a head of state. Trump said after the raid that the United States would “run” Venezuela until a transition has occurred, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tried to walk back that statement by denying a formal occupation while still implying a strong U.S. leverage over whoever governs Caracas next. But we’ve seen this story before. In 2003, U.S. and coalition forces toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq in a matter of weeks. The United States set up the Coalition Provisional Authority, which assumed full executive, legislative and juridical authority over Iraq, and eventually enabled the United States to handpick Hussein’s successors. The power vacuum and disbanding of the Iraqi army in 2003 fueled a brutal insurgency and civil war, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 4,500 U.S. troops killed before the formal U.S. withdrawal in 2011. The chaos also created conditions for groups like al-Qaeda and later ISIS, which at one point controlled large parts of Iraqi and Syrian territory, to gain a stronghold over the nation, eventually forcing yet another U.S. military intervention years later. If Trump believes that simply taking control of Venezuela is going to be a walk in the park, he would be sorely mistaken. At the very least, though, there are already leaders such as Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado, who together are estimated by some analysts to command support from roughly 70% of Venezuelans and who claim a clear democratic mandate after the 2024 election. But there’s always a caveat to this whole thing. Whoever’s in charge will most likely have to play by Trump’s rules. Venezuela is not only close to the United States but also one of the most important countries in the world in terms of its natural resources. It ranks first globally in oil reserves, with roughly 18% of the world’s total barrels. It also has enormous reserves of natural gas, gold, iron ore, nickel and even rare earth elements. In fact, Trump has already argued that Venezuela’s oil effectively belongs to the United States. He has described Venezuela’s past nationalizations, particularly from the 1970s through the 2000s, when the government took over foreign-owned oil operations, as “stolen” U.S. property. One of his top advisers, Stephen Miller, echoed that claim, calling it the “largest theft of American wealth and property.” The United States faces a serious dilemma after capturing the brutal dictator who caused the deaths of many Americans through narco-trafficking. And even amid Venezuelan street celebrations, a dangerous power vacuum may be brewing. Venezuela’s military is still intact and has explicitly endorsed the sanctioned Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim leader; Rodriguez is also backed by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and others. So it won’t be a simple vote that decides Venezuela’s future. There will be fights, maybe even a civil war, just like we had in Iraq all those years ago. Every country has a military, and every country has politicians who want power. The question that now remains is whether Trump can ensure that those who are in power are supported by the Venezuelan people, and that the military and Maduro’s goons in government won’t get their way. COPYRIGHT 2026 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post The Task That Lies Ahead in Venezuela appeared first on The Daily Signal.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agent Jonathan Ross shot Renee Nicole Good in her SUV during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Wednesday, after giving her an order to get out of the car which she failed to obey, instead trying to leave the scene in her car, resulting in the fatal shooting. Throughout is coverage thus far, PBS News Hour has leaned heavily on a selection of facts and assumptions to skew against the officer’s defensive shooting action, and ignoring inconvenient facts -- like the fact that Good, a radicalized mother of a toddler, showed up in a dangerous situation to block legal immigration enforcement action, spurred by her wife who urged Good to “drive, baby, drive” before the officer shot at Good three times, killing her. PBS hype of liberal “outrage” began on Night One of the controversy, when few facts were in. Outraged Democrats were presented as nonpartisan: Co-anchor Amna Nawaz: State and local officials in Minneapolis are outraged tonight after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a woman there. Federal officials accuse that woman of trying to run over officers with a vehicle, claiming the shooting was in self-defense. Co-anchor Geoff Bennett: The city's mayor says the video tells a different story…. On Thursday, the show invited on unlabeled former Obama Administration security official Juliette Kayyem, a popular face on the News Hour, who dutifully condemned the Trump Administration’s claims. Juliette Kayyem: ....she's been accused of lots of things by the White House in terms of, was she engaged in activism, was she trying to run him down? He could have easily -- and some people looking at the videos believed that he actually wasn't in the line of sight of the car -- or the line of impact of the car. And you let the car go on and either pull it over 10 feet away or get the license plate. And so this interaction that results in not one, but multiple bullets being put through the window of an unarmed civilian, who may or may not have known what ICE was expecting of her…. We know now, thanks to the cop’s camera phone, that Good was "engaged in activism" and did know what ICE expected of her. They yelled at her to get out of the car. Kayyem went on to bash President Trump and Vice President JD Vance for “a very shameful maligning of who [Good] is as a human being -- I mean, she's a mother and she was unarmed, and they called her a domestic terrorist….” Minnesota-based reporter Fred de Sam Lazaro lionized Good on Thursday. Fred de Sam Lazaro: A vigil and a makeshift memorial grew Wednesday evening near the site of the shooting, honoring Good, whose family and friends describe her as a Christian who participated in mission trips, a poet who loved to sing, and a loving mother of three. At the memorial today, where protesters have put up makeshift barricades, Somali immigrant Deqa Adan came to pay her respects. Another unchallenged activist spouted: Dieu Do, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee: The place that Renee was killed yesterday was six blocks away from where George Floyd was murdered. The law enforcement response is the same, to lie, to cover up and to spin a different story on really what actually happened. The field reporter again linked the ICE shooting to the hallowed name of another liberal Minnesota martyr, George Floyd. Not even the release of video from the cop’s phone, which knocked down some of the liberal assumptions surrounding the shooting, made a dent in PBS’s hostile anti-ICE tone Friday. De Sam Lazaro again rounded up the views of some local lefties and acceding to their "fears" of ICE. Fred de Sam Lazaro: Nicole Lundheim had just arrived to pick up her daughter after school and captured the melee on her phone. The Department of Homeland Security said agents were chasing a U.S. citizen who impeded their work and the pursuit ended at the school. It said no students or staff were targeted but that a man calling himself a teacher assaulted officers. Lundheim recalls the episode very differently. Nicole Lundheim: Is -- it almost seemed intentional to create -- to linger long enough to create a crowd, to create chaos. de Sam Lazaro: And with reports of immigration enforcement efforts continuing across the Twin Cities today, Lundheim says the level of concern is rising. Lundheim: So students who are immigrants, students who aren't immigrants, students who have legal standing to be here, but maybe are Black or brown, they are afraid because they could become in the crosshairs, because their best friend, their aunt, their uncle, family members -- like, the fear is visceral. de Sam Lazaro: Fear that may only rise in coming days, as federal officials say they will reexamine the cases of more than 5,000 refugees living in the state….

The holidays have a way of forcing conversations many families would rather postpone.Every year, as adult children come home and aging parents gather around the table, familiar signs emerge. Someone struggles with stairs. Someone tires more easily. Someone forgets what was once routine. And with those observations come discussions caregivers know well.The promise.“I’ll never put Mom or Dad in a nursing home.”It is often spoken years earlier, in healthier days, and always with sincerity. At the time, it feels like a declaration of love and loyalty. Assisted living seems distant, unnecessary, and meant for other families, not ours.The problem is not the promise. The problem is that life keeps changing.Circumstances change. Strength ebbs. What once worked may no longer work safely or wisely.Over time, what began as devotion can quietly become more than one person can manage alone. Needs grow. Safety becomes a concern. Medical issues multiply. Caregivers often find themselves trying to do, by themselves, what normally requires trained professionals, proper equipment, and constant oversight.At that point, the issue is no longer love or loyalty. It’s capacity.That reality came into focus during a recent conversation with a friend. He had offered a small cottage on his property to help a friend relocate aging parents closer to family. The mother now uses a walker. The father has been her caregiver for years, but serious heart problems have begun to limit what he can safely do.Still the conversation kept circling back to the same refrain: Neither would ever go into assisted living or a nursing home.Their adult son is caught in the middle, trying desperately to make everyone happy. That is a fool’s task. In my work with fellow caregivers, I call this the caregiver FOG — fear, obligation, and guilt — because it blurs perspective, narrows options, and makes even familiar paths hard to see. No one wins.It is like driving into actual fog. Visibility drops. Muscles tense. Judgment narrows. We try to peer miles ahead when we can barely see the hood of the car.Every highway safety officer gives the same advice: Slow down, turn on the low beams, and stop trying to see five miles down the road.Caregiving requires the same discipline.My friend asked what I thought.I suggested we lower the emotional temperature and start with one concrete issue.Not the promise. Not the arguments. Not the guilt.Start with the toilet.Laugh if you like. It sounds abrupt. But it has a way of clarifying reality quickly.RELATED: When the soul flatlines, call a ‘Code Grace’ PeopleImages via iStock/Getty ImagesThe bathroom is often ground zero for caregiving challenges. If the toilet is not safe and accessible, the demands on the caregiver escalate immediately. Transfers become harder. Fatigue compounds. Falls become more likely.Once the toilet is addressed, you move outward.The shower. The bedroom. Doorways, lighting, entrances.Sometimes modest changes are enough — grab bars, a raised toilet seat, a walk-in shower. None of these are exotic ideas. But determining needs honestly requires facing the limits of strength, balance, and endurance as they exist today, not as we wish they were.While politicians and toilets often deal with similar subject matter, toilets remain refreshingly honest. They simply reveal what actually works.When families do this, reality follows. Cost. Time. Budgets weighed against needs. Timelines measured against declining strength. What once felt like a moral standoff becomes a practical evaluation.Fear, obligation, and guilt begin to loosen their grip. In their place come planning, stewardship, and direction.This matters because emotional decisions often rush families into choices that create larger — and sometimes far more expensive — problems later. We see this dynamic everywhere, including politics. While politicians and toilets often deal with similar subject matter, toilets remain refreshingly honest. They do not respond to intentions, promises, or speeches. They simply reveal what actually works.Families do not choose assisted living or nursing homes in the abstract. Toilets always have a seat at the decision table.RELATED: Christian, what do you believe when faith stops being theoretical? fotojog via iStock/Getty ImagesSurveys consistently show that most older Americans want to remain in their own homes as they age. That desire is sincere and understandable. But staying home without meaningful accommodations transfers an enormous burden onto the caregiver. The home may remain familiar, but the cost — physical, emotional, and relational — often rises exponentially.Most promises are made sincerely. They are also made without a full understanding of how disease progresses, how bodies change, or how deeply caregiving reshapes everyone involved. Honoring a promise does not mean freezing it in time. It means continually asking how we can care well, given today’s realities.Assisted living is not a surrender of care. In many cases, it is an extension of it. It allows families to return to being sons, daughters, and spouses, rather than exhausted amateur medical staff running on guilt and fumes.We are not obligated to preserve every arrangement exactly as it once was. We are called to steward what has been entrusted to us — finances, time, energy, relationships, and the caregiver as well.Circumstances change. Strength ebbs. What once worked may no longer work safely or wisely.Important decisions are best made with clear heads, honest assessments, and wise counsel — not under the duress and resentment that so often accompany them. The days after the holidays are not a verdict. They are an invitation to slow down, think clearly, seek experienced guidance, and choose what is best not just for one individual but for the whole family.The path forward is rarely determined by emotion, decades-old promises, or guilt.More often, it is clarified by something far more unassuming — and far more truthful.The appliance in the nearest bathroom.

Eating real food is not quite that simple, and might even constitute "bowing to Big Meat," depending on who you ask.After Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his department dropped the new federal dietary guidelines — which have been historically referred to as the food pyramid — the recommendation of eating "real food," including red meat and full-fat dairy, was seen as an attack by many in the dietary sphere.'Beef is responsible for 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein than beans.'The new guidelines emphasized protein (from meat and vegetables), dairy, fruit, and some grains as part of a healthy diet. While some cleverly accused HHS of copying a popular "South Park" scene where scientists simply "flip the pyramid" to solve America's health crisis, others decided to criticize the guidelines for promoting animal meat intake.Meat puppetsMS Now, formerly MSNBC, argued that Americans already eat too much meat and claimed that most meat consumed in the country "is already fake." This was argued by citing an article that claimed selective breeding of cows and chickens constitutes altering "genetic makeup." The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine spoke out against the new federal guidelines too. The group reportedly criticized the promotion of meat and dairy products, labeling the foods as "principal drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity."RELATED: 'Eat real food': Trump administration flips 'corrupt food pyramid,' encourages meat and veggies over bread and oatmeal Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images I screamFood Navigator USA took a slightly different approach and claimed the shift in dietary advice was the HHS "bowing to Big Meat" and the dairy industry.The outlet cited the president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Neal Barnard, who said the guidelines "unjustly condemned processed foods."An article from Truthout cited vegan dietitian Ashley Kitchens who unironically claimed the food pyramid was being flipped upside down, calling it "complete ignorance" to encourage more meat and dairy consumption."It's a giant step back from decades of evidence-based nutrition research and science," Kitchens said. Butter faceThe Center for Science in the Public Interest echoed similar sentiments and said the dietary advice from Kennedy's HHS is "harmful" for emphasizing "animal protein, butter, and full-fat dairy."It is "guidance that undermines both the saturated fat limit" and previous dietary advice to emphasize "plant-based proteins."RELATED: RFK Jr. steals the show after hilarious quacking ringtone interrupts White House briefing Photo by Martin Pope/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Furthermore, Vox called the apparent attitude of the HHS toward vegan diets "hostile and stigmatizing," while Stanford nutrition expert Christopher Gardner said the promotion of red meat goes against "decades and decades of evidence and research."Climate kooksLastly, a perhaps predictable approach was taken by Bloomberg, who criticized the guidelines for prioritizing animal products because of how their production affects climate."Beef is responsible for 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein than beans, peas and lentils," the outlet wrote.This consensus against animal protein from dietary conglomerates in coalition with left-wing news outlets is sure to fuel the widespread belief that the powers that be are pushing toward a world without the luxury of beef. This is typically argued from an ideological and political standpoint by groups like the World Economic Forum, for example, in articles like "Why eating less meat is the best way to tackle climate change," "Why you should be eating less meat," and "You will be eating replacement meats within 20 years. Here's why."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested Cuba should strike a deal with the United States, warning that the island ⁠nation would no longer receive oil or money."THERE ​WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO! ⁠I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will urge Group of Seven nations and others to step up their efforts to reduce reliance on critical minerals from China when he hosts a dozen top finance officials on Monday, a senior U.S. official said.The meeting, which kicks off with a...

A burial mound in Turkey may have held the remains of a member of King Midas's family. But not all experts are convinced.

Nicaragua's Foreign Minister Denis Moncada raises flashes the V sign upon arrival at the plenary session of the CELAC-EU Summit in Santa Marta, Colombia on November 9, 2025. Luis Acosta/ AFP via Getty…