Israel pummeled Lebanon with airstrikes Monday that killed 274 people and left more than 1,000 injured, according to the Lebanese health ministry, marking the deadliest day for Lebanon since Israel and the militant group Hezbollah ramped up their exchange of fire nearly a year ago. In a dramatic escalation, Israel said it struck 800 targets in Lebanon, carrying out what an Israeli military spokesman called “extensive, precise strikes.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Sunday...

The rate of reported crimes dipped in 2023, the FBI said Monday, with a 3% drop in the number of violent crimes reported to police and a 2.4% drop in property crimes. Even hate crimes fell, despite the tension in the Middle East. Motor vehicle thefts were up, and robbery reports remained roughly the same from 2022 to 2023. But other major categories of crime were all down, with reported murders dropping nearly 12% and the number of reported rapes down more than 9%. The data is an estimate based...

U.S. property crime trends for the same period likewise saw an overall decrease of 2.4% relative to 2022, with burglaries down 7.6% and larcenies down 4.4%. Motor vehicle thefts OTOH were up by a whopping 12.6%. Interestingly, even hate crime incidents showed a marginal drop of 0.6% in 2023 relative to 2022. So the bogus Republican talking point about crime rates exploding during the Biden Administration is, not surprisingly, just so much malarky — while they did indeed increase dramatically...

The United States is sending more troops to the Middle East, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to the Lebanese people regarding the heightening conflict with Hezbollah. "In light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region. But for operational security reasons, I’m not going to comment on or provide specifics...

A federal magistrate ordered Ryan Routh detained until trial on gun charges over a golf-course incident with former President Donald Trump that prosecutors said Routh described in a handwritten note as “an assassination attempt” that failed. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe ordered Routh detained without bond after a three-hour hearing in Florida, where federal prosecutors linked him to the rifle found at Trump International Golf Club. Routh’s cellphone was tracked near...

The man charged in connection with an apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump wrote a note declaring that he did seek to kill the former president, according to a court document shared Monday. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was expected to appear at a federal pre-detention hearing on Monday after prosecutors laid out their case in documents to the court as to whether he should be held without bail until his trial.

The gunman who allegedly tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump while he was golfing has been ordered held without bond until his trial. Ryan Wesley Routh appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, Monday morning for a three-hour hearing — where Judge Ryon McCabe agreed with prosecutors that Routh should be kept behind bars until his trial for weapons charges. On Monday, prosecutors released a letter in which Routh allegedly admitted he was going to...

Mayor Todd Gloria endorsed the tough-on-crime plan during a morning rally. SAN DIEGO—A five-point plan to improve public safety and cleanliness in downtown San Diego was proposed Monday by a group of residents and business owners. Mayor Todd Gloria endorsed the tough-on-crime plan during a morning rally. “The success of downtown is imperative not only for the people who live, work and visit here every day, but for the continued progress and success of our entire city,” Gloria said. “From...

At a March GOP meeting in my congressional district, I said, “I am a Christian first, an American second, and then a Republican.” Immediately, an older gentleman yelled out, “That is why we don’t like you!” I wondered what bothered him more, the Christian or the American part. Our politics have become toxic. Too many voters treat their political party as the most important thing in their lives. They consider the other side to be their enemy or, even worse, evil. This phenomenon spans both...

The maker of the party game Cards Against Humanity has sued Elon Musk’s SpaceX accusing it of trespassing on and damaging company-owned property in Texas.  The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Texas court, asks for $15 million to cover damages including what the company calls the destruction of natural vegetation.  The dispute involves a plot of vacant land near Brownsville, Texas, far from the Cards Against Humanity corporate headquarters in Chicago. The game maker bought the...