As a wave of Israeli attacks on Syrian forces rocks the fragile crust of a Middle East peace, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is trying to stop a full-scale war from erupting.

After two days of Israeli attacks on Syrian forces, Rubio said he was hopeful the attacks would stop.

“It’s complicated, obviously. These are historic, longtime rivalries between different groups in the southwest of Syria — Bedouins, the Druze community — and it led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, it looks like, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side,” Rubio said in a video posted to X.

“So we’ve been engaged with them all morning long and all night long, with both sides, and we think we’re on our way towards a real de-escalation,” he said.

.@SecRubio on Syria: “These are historic, longtime rivalries … and it led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding … We’re on our way towards a real de-escalation … In the next few hours, we hope to see some real progress to end what you’ve been seeing.” pic.twitter.com/2cMcnLdDm7

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 16, 2025

“And then hopefully get back on track in helping Syria build a country and arriving at a situation there in the Middle East that’s far more stable. So, in the next few hours, we hope to see some real progress to end what you’ve been seeing over the last couple hours,” he said.

Most of Syria is Muslim, but the Druze have their own faith. Last year, after a Muslim-controlled government took power, Druze communities expressed their fears that they could become targets of the new regime, which has said it seeks to respect all faiths, and sought to be annexed by Israel, which has its own Druze communities.

On Wednesday, as Rubio spoke in Washington, Syrian and Druze leaders said they had reached a cease-fire, according to NBC. That came after Israeli air strikes hit targets in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Announcement of the cease-fire drew skepticism from Druze leaders in Syria, according to the Times of Israel.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog sounded an aggressive note on the subject Wednesday as Israeli attacks continued.

“Israel does not stand idly by when there is even the potential for a jihadist threat over the border,” he said.

“Second, Israel does not stand idly by when our allies and family members of Israelis – the sons and daughters of the Druze community, an integral part of us – are under attack and in danger of a horrific massacre,” he said.

Israel’s intervention was precipitated by attacks on the Druze from Muslim Bedouin clans near the city of Sweida that left almost 100 dead, according to the Times of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, “Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria, and we are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them, and to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria.”

Israeli airstrikes on Syrian government forces continue in the Sweida area, the IDF says, releasing footage.

The IDF says strikes in the past few hours hit armored vehicles and pickup trucks with mounted machine guns, that were heading to the Druze majority city of Sweida where… pic.twitter.com/uNZgcvjadQ

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 16, 2025

The advance of Syrian troops into the region violated “the demilitarization policy that was decided, prohibiting the entry of forces and weapons into southern Syria that endanger Israel,” the statement said.

Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine Al-Baba said, the “clashes are fundamentally not sectarian in nature.”

“The real conflict is between the state and bandits and criminals, not between the state and any Syrian community,” he said. “On the contrary, the state views the Druze community in Sweida as a partner in advancing the national unity project.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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Recently, Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost visited an immigrant detention center in the Everglades, Florida, denouncing conditions he called a “moral atrocity” and a “detention camp.” However, from the Republican perspective and the administration of President Donald J. Trump, this facility represents a necessary, responsible, and just effort to protect security, sovereignty, and order in managing migration on the southern border.

A Responsible Measure in the Face of the Migration Crisis

In a context where millions of migrants attempt to cross illegally into the U.S., Florida, under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis and with

The post Florida Defends Immigration Sovereignty Amid False Accusations appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a plan to build low-income housing to replace property destroyed by the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

Newsom’s plan will put low-income housing in the heart of the rolling hills of Pacific Palisades, a highly affluent area of Los Angeles that overlooks the Santa Monica Bay.

The priority is for “geographic proximity to the fire perimeters of the Eaton, Hughes, and Palisades fires,” Newsom explained.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Notice of Funding Availability for the $101 million pool details how funding will be awarded.

Included is $101 million in funding for multifamily low-incoming housing. Such projects must allocate 40% of its units for the homeless, or individuals who have spent at least 15 days in jails, hospitals, prisons, and institutions for mental illness.

Jennifer Seeger, the HCD deputy director of the Division of State Financial Assistance, stated that Newsom’s grants will make “funds more accessible to support the development of safe, fire-resilient multifamily low-income housing that will provide long-term stability, protect vulnerable populations, and contribute to a more equitable and resilient Los Angeles.”

The plan includes scoring preference for projects that are closer to the fire burn radius, have local government funding commitments, and are ready to start construction within 180 days of awarded funds.

It’s also possible to stack funding, contractors could utilize multiple programs within the grant to increase their project’s portion of grant-funded low-income housing units, which Newsom hopes will incentivize a greater supply of low-income housing to completed.

The State also released their MFSN Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in February 2025 providing $382 million for development of affordable multifamily rental housing, which contractors could also leverage.

Newsom has also cut back some of California’s notorious red-tape on development to expedite construction. He additionally signed an executive order to remove certain permitting barriers for building homes and schools, accelerate permit approval, as well as delaying changes to the state’s building codes.

The debris removal effort was completed earlier this month, setting a record for the fastest disaster clean-up in American history. 16,000 first responders and recovery personnel have participated in the cleanup efforts.

Rare for California projects, this effort was completed ahead of schedule.

Local officials met with Newsom to unveil a blueprint for recovery, with step-by-step plans to accelerate rebuilding. The plan proports to focus on community needs, provide financial support to “cover gaps”, and ensure critical infrastructure is in place, and undergrounding powerlines.

“By prioritizing affordable housing projects that are ready to go, these funds will accelerate household stability, climate and health outcomes in communities,” said Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency

In the end, Newsom’s grand scheme isn’t about rebuilding, it’s about reshaping California into a socialist playground, forcing affluent communities to foot the bill for his virtue-signaling experiments.

The post Burn It Down, Build It Back Woke: Newsom to Dump Low-Income Housing in Million-Dollar Pacific Palisades Neighborhood appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Riots have broken out in the southeastern Spanish town of Torre Pacheco, leading to the arrest of 14 men. This small town of 40,000 has a large immigrant population, which has been a source of discontent for locals.

Anti-migrant unrest erupted after a 68-year-old pensioner, Domingo Tomás Domínguez, was beaten up—allegedly “just for fun”—during his morning walk by three Maghrebi youths.

Domínguez told Spanish media that he was thrown to the ground and was not asked to hand over his money or belongings, nor could he understand the language they were speaking.

The three people arrested on suspicion of attacking the pensioner are all of Moroccan origin, in their early 20s, and none are residents of Torre Pacheco.

One of the suspects was arrested on Monday as he attempted to board a train in the Basque region to flee across the border to France.

Photos of the old man’s bruised face circulated on social media, sparking public outrage that led to the chaos.

Vigilance groups of men armed with batons could be seen roaming the streets of Torre Pacheco, reportedly seeking to protect the public from migrant attacks.

Unrest escalated when an extremist group called “Deport Them Now” called for attacks on North African men in a message on their Telegram channel. Authorities reached out to Telegram to ban the channel, but the message had already been received by the time the account was terminated.

Riots occurred over the weekend, when groups of hooded Spanish youths attacked vehicles and businesses owned by Moroccans. CCTV footage shown on Spanish television depicted a mob armed with bats and sticks vandalizing a shawarma shop.

Clashes were also reported between members of Deport Them Now and people of North African origin.

On Sunday night, journalists witnessed several dozen youths hurling glass bottles and other objects at nearly 130 riot police who were deployed from nearby provinces to quell the violence.

A leading member of the extremist group, whose name has been withheld, was detained in the northeastern town of Mataró on suspicion of posting the instigating messages on Telegram.

The Torre Pacheco mayor, Pedro Ángel Roca Ternel, publicly called for an end to the violence: “I call on residents to be calm, for tranquillity.”

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska blamed the violence on anti-immigration rhetoric from the nationalist party Vox, Spain’s third-largest political force.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal fired back, pointing out that the unrest was caused by the dangers of mass immigration, saying, “It has stolen our borders, it has stolen our peace, and it has stolen our prosperity.”

It’s clear that the citizens of Spain share this sentiment after continually enduring a climate of violence from migrants and a police force too overwhelmed to maintain order. The ruling coalition of Spain continues to blame Vox instead of its own ineffectual policies, which leave the borders wide open to unchecked immigration.

The post Violent Riots Explode in Spanish Town After Pack of African Migrants Savagely Beat Elderly Man appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Trump went off on California Governor Gavin “Newscum” and announced he is officially canceled funding for the state’s “failed” high speed railroad to nowhere.

“To the Law abiding, Tax paying, Hardworking Citizens of the United States of America, I am thrilled to announce that I have officially freed you from funding California’s disastrously overpriced, “HIGH SPEED TRAIN TO NOWHERE.” This boondoggle, led by the incompetent Governor of California, Gavin Newscum, has cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we have received NOTHING in return except Cost Overruns. The Railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will. This project was Severely Overpriced, Overregulated, and NEVER DELIVERED. Thanks to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again. This was an ill-conceived and unnecessary project, and a total waste of Taxpayer money — But no more!” Trump said on Truth Social.

Earlier this year President Trump said that he will launch an investigation into California’s High-Speed Rail project.

Trump blasted the project as “the worst managed project I’ve ever seen,” hinting at what many conservatives have known all along: this boondoggle is nothing but a colossal waste of taxpayer money.

Trump said from the Oval Office in February:

President Trump announced an investigation into California’s high-speed rail project, which appears to some as a giant money laundering scheme.

“I built for a living, and I built on time, on budget. It’s impossible that something could cost that much.”

Californians should be… pic.twitter.com/o64vUR2aTQ

— George (@BehizyTweets) February 4, 2025

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has attempted to defend the project’s progress in a post on X, citing the completion of 50 major structures, 60 miles of guideway, and the creation of 14,600 jobs.

Ignore the noise. We’re busy building.

As we enter the track-laying phase, 171 miles are under active construction & we’ve already:
COMPLETED 50 major structures
COMPLETED 60 miles of guideway
COMPLETED full enviro clearance from SF to LA
CREATED 14,600 jobs pic.twitter.com/esbk0Gespb

— CA High-Speed Rail (@CaHSRA) February 4, 2025

Originally greenlit by the voters with the promise of linking Los Angeles to San Francisco in a modern, efficient bullet train system for a mere $33 billion with a completion date set for four years ago, the project has ballooned to an eyewatering $128 to $130 billion, with no clear completion date in sight, according to abc30.

The current CEO, who came on board last summer, recently claimed that the high speed train might be finished in twenty years. That would be the year 2045.

The post President Trump Goes Off on Governor “Newscum,” Cancels Funding for California’s Failed $130 Billion “High Speed Train to Nowhere” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.