A man with a bomb strapped to his chest has taken at least one hostage at a Chase Bank in Bakersfield, California.

A dozen police vehicles were outside the Chase Bank on 17th Street and Chester Avenue.

An unidentified man barricaded himself inside the bank and has taken at least one hostage.

“An unidentified male subject is currently barricaded with an unknown number of members of our community, ”Sergeant Eric Celedon of the Bakersfield Police Department told ABC 23. “Every single resource is at this site’s disposal.”

KGET reported:

Police in Bakersfield, California, say they’re responding to an “active” bomb threat and hostage situation at a Chase Bank in the city’s downtown area.

A man has barricaded himself within the Chase Bank with an unknown number of people, Sgt. Eric Celedon of the Bakersfield Police Department told Nexstar’s KGET. Police were notified at around 1 p.m. local time that the man had made a threat at the bank.

Police are now asking the community to avoid the area.

Several city buildings have been placed on lockdown until further notice, authorities said. That includes City Hall North, City Hall South, the Development Services Building, and Bakersfield Police Headquarters.

The Hall of Records building has been evacuated.

WATCH:

BREAKING: A man with a bomb allegedly strapped to his chest has taken at least one hostage inside a Chase Bank in Bakersfield, California, prompting lockdowns nearby. Police say they are actively negotiating. pic.twitter.com/vUNyLIxBiO

— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) June 2, 2026

DEVELOPING…

The post DEVELOPING: Man with Bomb Strapped to His Chest Takes at Least One Hostage at Chase Bank in Bakersfield, California appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A high school principal in North Carolina set a good example for educators by putting the school’s valedictorian in her place after she hijacked her commencement speech.

As The New York Post reported, Clayton High School senior Leen Hijaz was given the honor of delivering the institution’s commencement speech due to her academic accomplishments. Normally, such addresses are generally uneventful and at least somewhat apolitical.

But Hijaz, a Muslim, soon abandoned her pre-approved remarks to unleash a vile rant against ICE and spread pro-Palestine propaganda.

“Before I leave the stage, I have one last thing to say. Every single person here has a voice; we have the privilege to use it when millions around the world are struggling and suffering to be heard,” Hijaz stated.

“Whether it’s the millions suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan, and so many other countries around the world, or families being torn apart by ICE. These are not just an issue here; they are happening there, they’re happening right here as I speak,” she continued.

“My point is, we’re not given a voice to stay silent,” Hijaz tried to add before Principal Melissa Moore approached her.

Moore promptly yanked the microphone away from Hijaz and pulled her off the stage to the teen’s dismay.

WATCH (turn to 1:02:00 to hear the relevant remarks):

Here is a shorter version posted on Hijaz’s TikTok account:

@leenhijaz_ never be afraid to speak up!! #freepalestine #ice #valedictorian #grad #graduation ♬ original sound – blade aka rui’s biggest fan

Hijaz later fumed about being shut down by Principal Moore, noting she was only able to use half of her speech.

The Muslim teen also whined about feeling “oppressed.”

@leenhijaz_ #claytonhighschool #johnstoncounty ♬ original sound – leeno

Johnston County Public Schools released the following statement to the New York Post regarding the incident:

During this year’s Clayton High School graduation, a student departed from her approved remarks.

School administrators intervened in order to maintain the integrity and focus of the program in real time. This action was not about limiting a student’s voice, but about ensuring that a school-sponsored event remained consistent with its intended purpose.

The post THIS IS THE WAY: High School Principal Springs into Action to SHUT DOWN Woke Muslim Valedictorian’s Disgusting Anti-ICE, Pro-Palestine Commencement Speech (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

“The National Defense Strategy makes clear that the old toothless, utopian, and globalist course of foreign policy was headed for a disaster that all changes under President Trump,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told a group of international defense ministers, military chiefs, diplomats, and analysts at the Shangri-La Dialogue. The event, held each year in Singapore, is Asia’s premier annual defense summit and is organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Hegseth delivered the opening plenary on May 30, building his speech around three principles: defending the U.S. homeland and the Western Hemisphere, countering China, and demanding that allies become more self-reliant in defense by assuming a greater share of their own security responsibilities rather than depending on the United States.

The 2026 National Defense Strategy is cited as the doctrinal foundation. The phrase “strong, quiet, and clear” repeats throughout as the operational motto of the Trump administration’s Pacific posture, a deliberate inversion of the loud-protest, weak-follow-through approach he attributes to prior administrations.  In a nod to Theodore Roosevelt, Hegseth promised U.S. allies and foes alike that “what the United States delivers is strength that is disciplined, resolve that is steady, and leadership that is confident enough to speak and walk softly while carrying a big stick.”

Hegseth explained how the Trump administration had refocused the mission of the United States Armed Forces. “We will prioritize lethal capabilities, strategic discipline, and businesslike cooperation over empty rhetoric and peacocking.”

Mainstream media claimed that he took a reserved tone toward Beijing, but this is inaccurate. He had already mentioned the China threat within the first few minutes of his speech. “We insist that China respect our longstanding position in the region, and not just insist, but maintain the manifest military strength to underwrite it.”

Just as in the 2026 National Defense Strategy, the framing of the China threat and how to address it has changed. The United States is now prioritizing the homeland and the Western Hemisphere against all threats. Hegseth said, “Under the leadership of President Trump, who has over the past year shown repeatedly what it means to defend American national interests, from Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela to Midnight Hammer to cartel drug boats to Epic Fury. We have restored a proactive and realistic approach to our own national defense, reestablishing deterrence.”

Hegseth went as far as to say, “Now we are reestablishing the Monroe Doctrine, the Donroe Doctrine, as I like to call it, in the Western Hemisphere, aggressively defending our homeland and our hemisphere. We will protect our people.”

The improved diplomacy between the U.S. and China following the recent Trump-Xi meeting has been characterized by the press as a policy failure or capitulation. Hegseth, however, pointed out that there has been no capitulation. President Trump is pursuing policies that prioritize U.S. interests over those of all other nations, including China.

At the same time, improved communication can help prevent violence. “By maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication, we can coordinate, deconflict, and reduce the risk of miscalculation.”

Hegseth described his role this way: “Now, all of that said, my job at the United States Department of War is to provide the military strength to support President Trump’s visionary and realistic diplomacy.”

The press was quick to point out that he did not mention Taiwan specifically. However, the secretary’s position on containing China in the Pacific was clear. “We will build and sustain a strong denial defense in the Western Pacific that ensures aggression is infeasible, escalation unattractive, and war deemed irrational.”

This was where he began to transition to the need for other countries to do their part, and the end of countries freeloading on American military protection. “We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency.” He also said that  “A favorable balance of power requires capable allies with real military strength, real industrial capacity, and real political resolve. For too long, the security of this region has rested disproportionately on American military power.”

Hegseth worked through nearly every major Pacific partner by name: South Korea, Philippines, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and India, grading each on defense investment and interoperability. The framework was explicit: nations meeting the 3.5% GDP defense spending standard get moved to “the front of the line” for arms sales, intelligence sharing, and industrial collaboration.

Those who do not are told their free-riding days are over. South Korea was held up as the model, with President Lee’s commitment to 3.5% singled out for praise. His core line: “We need partners, not protectorates. Alliances are not judged by the number of flags, but by the number of formations. We don’t need more conferences. We need more combat power. I’m sorry to say this here: less Shangri-La, more ships, more subs.”

He concluded with a strong and Christian message. “Those who long for peace must prepare for war…The challenges we face are real, but so is the opportunity before us. We must meet that moment, and may Almighty God bless all of our troops in harm’s way.”

The post Secretary of War Hegseth Declares End of Free Ride for Allies at the Shangri-La Dialogue appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

US Central Command on Tuesday posted unclassified footage of the US military disabling an oil tanker with a Hellfire missile.

This is the sixth vessel that the US military has disabled as part of the naval blockade in Iran.

The Botswana-flagged tanker was sailing toward an Iranian port before the US military intervened.

Statement from CENTCOM:

U.S. forces disabled an unladen oil tanker that was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on the Arabian Gulf, June 2.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island. The ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period.

A U.S. aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran.

CENTCOM began implementing the blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13. U.S. forces have disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 as the ceasefire with Iran continues.

WATCH:

President Trump early Tuesday morning said the US is still negotiating with Iran:

“Fake News Reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the U.S.A., stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous.

The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today. Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, “It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal.

You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!” President DONALD J. TRUMP” Trump said on Tuesday.

The post US Central Command Disables Oil Tanker with Hellfire Missile (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

CAIR Houston Marks 20 Years in Texas: Defender of Civil Rights or Source of Outside Influence?

The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is celebrating 20 years. On its website, CAIR says it serves the Muslim community of Greater Houston and Southeast Texas by defending civil rights and liberties. Over the past two decades, while Texas has had Republican governors like Rick Perry and Greg Abbott and conservative legislative majorities, CAIR-Houston has grown. This growth has led some to question whether there is enough oversight of foreign-linked influence, especially as Texas faces demographic changes and national security concerns.

On its homepage, CAIR-Houston encourages people to volunteer for events, communications, government affairs, and office management. The group also asks for Zakat-eligible donations and shares its mission: “to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.” A major focus is getting out the vote through the Texas Muslim Voter Project, which includes registration drives, reminders to voters, building mosque coalitions, and organizing Muslim Capitol Days in Austin. Supporters call this civic engagement, while critics argue it could lead to bloc voting that shapes policy based on group interests rather than individual freedoms.

CAIR-Houston is active beyond politics, working in cultural and institutional areas as well. The group promotes understanding of Islam through community events and outreach, and has pushed for changes in public schools, such as prayer rooms, halal food options, and curriculum updates. Critics say these changes weaken secular traditions and create separate cultural spaces. CAIR-Houston also encourages people to report incidents of discrimination, which some see as a way to pressure businesses, governments, and schools by labeling actions as “Islamophobia.” Critics argue that these efforts can limit free speech and introduce new cultural norms that challenge traditional American values.

In November 2025, Governor Abbott responded by labeling CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. This action restricts land purchases, cuts off school partnerships, and calls for more financial oversight. The move came after CAIR’s history, including being named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, being listed as a terrorist group by the UAE in 2014, and the FBI limiting its formal interactions with CAIR. In response, CAIR-Houston has a “Dispelling Rumors” section and shares links that criticize Abbott’s decision as “Islamophobic.”

Texas Republicans have been in charge during a time when the Muslim population has grown, partly due to migration and higher birth rates, and CAIR has become more active. Some compare this to situations in the UK, where officials were slow to act on certain issues because they wanted to maintain good community relations. Critics warn that calling concerns “Islamophobia” can prevent open discussion about topics like separate communities, honor-based violence, or changes to local culture. Despite legal challenges to Abbott’s order, CAIR-Houston continues to hold events and work with government officials, increasing its influence.

This issue goes to the heart of American identity. After October 7, statements from national CAIR leaders, connections to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, and Nihad Awad’s history have led to more distrust. In Texas, CAIR’s voter and cultural programs could give more influence to those who question Western values, possibly leading to demands for special treatment that divide communities. While CAIR presents itself as a group fighting for justice, it continues its work even after being labeled by officials, which some see as taking space away from traditional American culture.

This is not just neutral advocacy. In the UK, some groups took advantage of trust in institutions, and Texas now faces similar challenges at home. Texas attracts people from around the world, but it still needs to protect its own interests. While Republicans have focused on strong border policies, critics say they have not done enough to address the growing influence from within.

Moving forward will take determination. Abbott’s designation should be fully enforced. Partnerships and school connections need to be reviewed. Funding should support legal and research efforts to counter outside influence. Conservatives should take the lead by sharing information through media, hosting webinars that connect UK experiences to U.S. issues, and focusing on assimilation rather than defaulting to multiculturalism.

Texans have a right to know the details about CAIR-Houston’s Texas Muslim Voter Project, its finances, and its cultural programs. If these issues are ignored, Texas could change not because of natural shifts in voter opinion, but because of organized efforts that alter daily life, institutions, and values. As the population changes quickly, holding leaders accountable is the difference between responsible leadership and neglect. Texans should urge Republican leaders to address these concerns directly. Otherwise, Texas may change in ways that reflect deeper divisions instead of shared progress.

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