Tex's Place

By Teri Christoph In early February of 2025 – and just a few short weeks into his second term – President Trump  signed  an Executive Order (EO) entitled "Withdrawing the United States From International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties That Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States," which, among other things, directed federal agencies to stop using U.S. funds for any contribution, grant, or other payment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). From RedState's  reporting  at the time: Trump's next foreign policy move, as  reported  by Politico, is sure to tick off all the right people, namely those whose pockets get deeper every time the largesse of the American taxpayer goes abroad. Not only does the president intend to withdraw the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Council, he will also pull all future funding for UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine...

By Bob Hoge Teeth-gnashing Democrats have been whining and hitting CNN at every opportunity to call Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran that took out virtually their entire command structure, including (former) Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying that the mission is illegal and demanding that it stop until Congress can vote on authorizing it. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), however, had some fresh reminders that such operations are nothing new, and in fact, the Dems’ idol, former President Barack Obama, helped bring down Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, and Thomas Jefferson sent the U.S. Navy and Marines to the Mediterranean to take on the Barbary pirates in 1801. The Constitution gives the power to Trump to do what he did, Cotton said: . @SenTomCotton : President Trump has the inherent power under our Constitution and as Commander-in-Chief to use military force to keep our nation safe...Obama toppled Gaddafi in Libya 15 years ago without a vote of Congress...the ...

By Jonathan Turley Below is my column in Fox.com on the move this coming week to introduce a war powers resolution to end the attacks in Iran. The task, however, will be far more challenging in light of the escalation of hostilities. With  the loss of American personnel , the choice is even more stark politically for these members. President Donald Trump has left Congress with only fight or flight options. Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) promised to force a vote on a war powers resolution to bar further prosecution of the war against Iran. Republicans such as Rep.  Thomas Massie  (R-Ky.) have joined in the call to bar further hostilities. These members are certainly within their rights to call for such resolutions and the Framers wanted such debates to occur in Congress. However, it is too late to make this cat walk backwards. While there are good-faith reasons to oppose the commencement of the attacks, the United States is now in close combat with Iran. Drafting a war powers...

By Ward Clark Even with the successes of Operation Epic Fury, Iran could still accomplish something no enemy of the United States has done since the War of 1812: Striking directly at American citizens in the mainland United States. On Sunday, one report presents the worrisome prospect of Iranian sleeper cells, right here in the United States, right now, who may well just be awaiting orders to strike. American counterterrorism agencies, including the FBI, are reportedly already monitoring possible  Iranian-sponsored sleeper cells . American counterterrorism agencies are quietly monitoring suspected sleeper cells on U.S. soil in the wake of joint U.S.–Israel  strikes on Iran , stepping up surveillance amid heightened fears of possible retaliation from Iran-linked operatives or sympathizers. Federal and local law enforcement have also boosted on-the-ground security in major U.S. cities as part of a precautionary posture, even though no specific, credible threats have been pub...

By KURT ZINDULKA U.S. Central Command announced on Monday morning the death of a fourth American military service member amid Operation Epic Fury in Iran. CENTCOM said in a statement Monday that the service member was “seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries.” “Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.” Meanwhile, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were  shot down  on Sunday in Kuwaiti airspace amid combat with Iranian aircraft. However, CENTCOM said that the three jets were “mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses” in an act of friendly fire. All six American aircrew ejected safely and have been recovered. CENTCOM Update TAMPA, Fla. – As of 7:30 am ET, March 2, four U.S. service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Ir...

By Sister Toldjah On Monday morning, Dept. of War Sec. Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, held a Pentagon presser to share updates on Operation Epic Fury. Early Saturday morning, President Trump  confirmed  the operation, stating that "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the  Iranian regime , a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world." During the Monday presser, Hegseth talked about the members of the U.S. military  who were killed , with the number now standing at four: Hegseth was asked how the U.S. troops were killed during this war, and he said an incoming Iranian round hit a well-fortified tactical operations center. He said that other incoming munitions were shot down by our air defenses, but that sometimes a squirter round gets thr...

By Bob Hoge Many in the Democrat party are lining up to criticize Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israel airstrikes that took out Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire slate of leaders of the Islamic Republic regime early Saturday morning.  They’ve been  calling the mission  “illegal,” “dangerous,” “criminal,” and any other ominous words they can find in their thesaurus. Leftist California Governor Gavin Newsom, who’s long been rumored to be plotting a run for the presidency, has seen his stock plummet in 2026 after a  series of gaffes , so he (or his juvenile communications team) evidently thought he could take advantage of the overseas battle by trolling the president. It went extremely badly for the team, and the "pajama boy" who came up with the post was savaged, as you'll see. The one thing an advisor should immediately tell Mr. Newsom is that he should never, ever bring up gas prices, because his state routinely has the...

By Bonchie As the  conflict against Iran  continues to expand, with the United Kingdom recently green-lighting the use of its bases for offensive operations, a stabbing spree occurred in the city of Edinburgh.  According to  reports , a man carrying two knives injured at least three people before barricading himself inside an apartment building. Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with the attacker unsuccessfully trying to enter a local school before being repelled.  One local who asked not to be named said: "We just got up this morning to go to the shop and the whole place was going crazy. Apparently people have been stabbed. The guy is inside a flat on the ninth floor and he keeps looking out the window. It's horrifying. Pictures of a guy with two knives have been shared on social media. It's shocking and the whole area is on lockdown with cops everywhere." Abigail Clegg said the armed man had "tried to get into the school, the nursery" before he was ...

By OLIVER JJ LANE Three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters were shot down by friendly fire while engaging Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones over Kuwait, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Monday morning. UPDATE 0630 Eastern: Three U.S. jets downed by Kuwait in error Following earlier reports of fighter jets downed over Kuwait, CENTCOM has confirmed the loss of three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters around 0700 Kuwait time (2303 Eastern). The aircraft were engaged in “active combat” in support of Operation Epic Fury against “Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones” and were shot down “over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident”. They said: “the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses.” CENTCOM confirmed what had earlier been said by the Kuwaiti authorities that “All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition”. The American authorities added: “Kuwait has ...

Good morning!     This is your daily forum to share what you've heard, what you've learned, and what you know, and just shoot the breeze.   Have a wonderful day my friends.   -Tex