Despite being accredited and accepted as journalists for the United Nations’ (UN) COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, Rebel News, a Canadian climate skeptic outlet, was refused entry upon arrival, explains Rebel’s editor-in-chief Sheila Gunn Reid to The New American’s Alex Newman. The setback highlights the UN’s reluctance to tolerate any opposing viewpoint, as the …

Better safe than sorry. Marcus King has long been open about his struggles not only with his mental health, but with drugs and alcohol. He made the decision to get sober back in 2021, not long after he met his now-wife Briley, and has credited her in the past with keeping him on track. The standout guitar player and southern rock singer met his future wife back in 2021 at one of his concerts, and as Marcus recalled: “She waltzed up on my bus like she owned it, and I was taken with her sweet southern drawl. She asked to connect to the Bluetooth, blared Linda Ronstadt and Aretha Franklin and we sang and danced till it was time for the bus to leave. I told her the next morning to quit her job and marry me instead.” But apparently she wasn’t ready to go all in just yet. During a recent appearance on the Zach Sang Show podcast, Marcus recalled that first date with Briley (whose maiden name is Briley Hussey), and says that although he did get a kiss out of it, she had some conditions before it could go any farther. “She gave me a nice smooch the first night we met. She couldn’t resist my charms all the way. But she was like, ‘Hell no, I don’t know where the hell that thing’s been.’ She’s like, ‘You need to go get checked out.'” I mean, smart move, regardless of who you’re sleeping with. Well Marcus did in fact go get an STD test (that’s how you know he was serious about this girl, am I right?) and sent the proof to Briley: “I went and I got checked out, and I was like, ‘You guys call me and leave me a voicemail that says all is well.’  And so they did that and I sent her the voicemail. I was like, ‘I’m good to go.'” Clearly it all worked out for them. Marcus and Briley were married in 2023 in a ceremony at the Schermerhorn Symphony here in Nashville that was officiated by country legend Jamey Johnson. And Marcus credits his wife’s “tough love” approach with helping him stay on track: “I get really depressed when I’m not around her. It’s different than any relationship I’ve ever had… I like somebody that’s like, ‘No, you need to get up and do some s–t for yourself.’ Cause I need that kind of tough love. The parts that are broken in me are not going to be fixed with any form of coddling… Everybody that came in tried to help me from a very honest and genuine place, but it was always too soft and it always allowed me to get back off the rails. This is the first woman that I’ve ever been with that was like, ‘Hell no.'” Over the past few months, Briley has really started to break out as an artist herself, with her cover of “The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia” going so viral on social media that she dropped her own studio version of the song, featuring her husband and Ella Langley. She’s joined her husband on stage a number of times in the past as well, showcasing her incredible talent on songs like Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” The post Marcus King Says His Wife Briley Made Him Get An STD Test After Their First Date: “Don’t Know Where That Thing’s Been” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Jonathan Pollard—the convicted spy who sold U.S. national security secrets to the Israeli government—met in secret with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the New York Times reported Thursday. Pollard confirmed to The New York Times that he was welcomed into the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem by Huckabee in July. The White House says it had been unaware of the meeting. Pollard was released from prison in 2015 and flew back to Israel in 2020 on a private jet owned by Miriam Adelson, a pro-Israel Republican donor. In 2011, Ambassador Huckabee traveled to Israel and expressed support for Pollard’s release. “He pled guilty, he served an extraordinary length of time for the crime he was convicted of… it would seem to now be a matter of good will and a good faith gesture for the President to give clemency and release him,” Huckabee said at the time. Pollard told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that “the reason I wanted to meet [Huckabee] was to express my deep and sincere appreciation for everything he had done to help me when I was in prison.” After the meeting leaked, Pollard went to the press to defend Huckabee and blast other U.S. officials, telling reporters that he “despises” Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who have worked on Middle East issues for the Trump administration. Pollard also criticized President Donald Trump for “imposing” the Gaza ceasefire. The post Israeli Spy Jonathan Pollard Met with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Said ‘Thank You’ appeared first on The American Conservative.

Andrew Day and Harrison Berger talk to Robert Malley about his new book, Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine. They also discuss the Gaza war, Barack Obama’s and Donald Trump’s unique approaches to Israel-Palestine, the rise of antisemitism, impediments to a two-state solution, and more. Recorded November 20, 2025. The post TAC Right Now: Why Israel-Palestine Peace Efforts Failed appeared first on The American Conservative.

The White House is pressuring Ukraine to sign on to its new peace proposal by Thanksgiving or lose U.S. support in its war with Russia, according to five people familiar with the talks. U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday with a version of the 28-point plan President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff recently drafted with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.