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Reports: Suspected Iranian Hackers Target US Gas Station Fuel Systems

Hackers believed to be linked to Iran may have breached computerized fuel monitoring systems used at gas stations across the United States, according to a CNN report published Friday and cited by Newsweek.

CNN reported the suspected attacks involved "automatic tank gauge" systems, known as ATGs, which monitor fuel levels and leak detection in underground gas station tanks.

U.S. officials told CNN some of the systems were exposed online without password protection, allowing intruders in some cases to manipulate digital readings and system displays.

Officials told CNN investigators found no evidence the hackers altered actual fuel supplies, but warned manipulated readings could hide leaks or create broader infrastructure safety risks.

CNN reported federal investigators suspect Iranian-linked actors were behind the intrusions, though officials had not publicly attributed the activity to a specific Iranian government entity.

The reported breaches add to years of U.S. warnings that Iran has built one of the world’s most aggressive state-backed cyber programs, frequently targeting energy infrastructure, industrial control systems, financial institutions, and transportation networks.

The U.S. Justice Department announced in 2016 that seven Iranian hackers tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were charged over cyberattacks targeting dozens of American banks between 2011 and 2013.

Federal prosecutors said the same group also infiltrated the Bowman Avenue Dam control system in Rye Brook, New York, in what officials described as one of the first known Iranian intrusions into U.S. industrial infrastructure.

 Cybersecurity firm Dragos warned in 2019 that Iranian hacking groups had increasingly focused on operational technology systems used in utilities, oil facilities, pipelines, and manufacturing plants.

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued joint advisories in multiple years warning that Iranian hackers routinely scan for poorly secured industrial control devices connected directly to the internet.

Cybersecurity firm Mandiant reported in 2022 that Iranian state-linked hacking groups increasingly targeted U.S. critical infrastructure organizations using ransomware, destructive malware, and credential theft campaigns.

The Treasury Department said in late 2023 that hackers affiliated with the IRGC targeted water utilities and other infrastructure operators using internet-connected industrial devices manufactured by Unitronics.

Federal agencies warned at the time that Iranian actors were exploiting default passwords and weak cybersecurity protections in operational technology systems.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has repeatedly warned that many fuel, water, and utility systems across the United States remain vulnerable because operators continue using legacy industrial equipment with outdated software and inadequate network protections.

Iranian-linked cyber operations have also repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure in the Middle East.

Cybersecurity researchers and Western officials blamed Iranian actors for the 2012 Shamoon malware attack that wiped data from roughly 30,000 computers at Saudi Aramco, one of the largest oil companies in the world.

Saudi officials later described the Shamoon attack as one of the most destructive cyberattacks ever carried out against the global energy sector.

Iran has denied involvement in many cyberattacks attributed to it by Western governments and cybersecurity researchers.

The latest reported intrusions come amid heightened tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States, with American officials repeatedly warning Tehran could use cyberattacks as an asymmetric response to military or economic pressure.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

 

Steve Scalise's Hilarious Reply to Tim Walz's Slimy Attack on His Medical Condition

We are so lucky that Donald Trump and JD Vance defeated Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

 

In addition to all the reasons that Kamala Harris was awful, Minnesota Gov. Walz made it all worse with what a joke he was as a candidate. If you become known for the ridiculous things you say rather than for doing anything consequentially good, that could be a problem. 

Walz did become known for something consequential, something consequentially bad. He dropped out of running again for governor after the Minnesota fraud scandal exploded. He helped demonize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and incited radicals in his state against law enforcement. 

Can we forget this moment when he spoke wishfully about the possibility of President Trump's death? 

Then, Walz had a post on Thursday that, like the Trump post, reminded us that he isn't just a bad politician, he is also a horrible human being. 

House Majority Leader, Republican Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-01), 

 

and House Majority Whip, Republican Rep. Tom Emmer (MN-06),

 

 posted a picture humorously joking about how they both had to wear medical boots on their legs. 

Standing in solidarity with @GOPMajorityWhip Emmer! The House Leadership Boot Caucus is officially up and running.

Normal human beings would look at that and wish them a swift recovery. Because that's what you do. Or maybe you just say nothing. 

Then there's Tim Walz, who is not a normal human being and says something slimy to injured people. 

The House Boot Licker Caucus is officially up and running. https://t.co/BhJhjujnJt

— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) May 14, 2026

"The House Boot Licker Caucus is officially up and running," he said.

 That doesn't even make any sense - are they licking their own boots? But that's Walz - it doesn't make any sense.

 Imagine, too, the audacity of Tim Walz calling anyone a bootlicker. And imagine not having the sense that God gave a gnat to say that to Scalise. Scalise sometimes wears a medical boot because he was severely injured when he was shot nine years ago by a rabid progressive influenced by Democrat incitement against Republicans on healthcare. 

But Scalise had the perfect response. 

Hey Tim, congratulations on retirement! Looks like you’re still bitter that Tom and I shut the door on the billions that were going to your “Learing” centers!!

That's a brilliant retort recalling one of the symbols of the childcare scandal story, the sign of the "Quality Learing Center" that was missing an "n." And a nice reminder that soon, Walz will be walking off into the political sunset, hopefully never to hold office again. 

 

Google Maps Just 'Unburned' the Pacific Palisades — and Infuriated Angelenos Noticed

Angelenos have been noticing something strange: the Google Maps satellite imagery depicting the Los Angeles areas of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena now shows pristine neighborhoods untouched by the devastating fires of January 2025.

Of course, as we all know, those neighborhoods are in ruins. Why would Google pretend otherwise?

 On Reddit, user TinyPinkSparkles asked, “Why is Google maps back to showing old satellite images of Altadena?" She continued:

Not too long after the fire, Google updated the satellite imagery to reflect the fire and thousands of lost structures. Now it's back to pre-fire images of houses and businesses that are no longer there. Why?

Meanwhile, someone going by the tag Lisa S. asked Google Maps Help how to get the tech giant to respond, because the gaslighting is actually affecting people:

Obviously, this is problematic for many reasons - navigation, recovery efforts, and mental health among them. I've tried using the feedback form, but would like to know if there's a more direct way to report this major error to Google.

Now, there are a lot of internet rumors and conspiracy theories out there. Is this just another example of kooky folks putting on their tin-foil hats? I decided to take a look for myself, and yep, what they’re saying appears to be correct. 

RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar took note as well:

Hmm, not a destroyed house or burn scar in sight. At the bottom of the map that I viewed, it says in very small letters: “Imagery ©2026 Airbus, Maxar Technologies, Vexcel Imaging US, Inc., Data CSUMB SFML, OA CPC, Map data ©2026 Google.” 

Well, the copyrights may be from 2026, but the satellite images certainly don’t appear to show the reality that is the Palisades at any point in the current year.

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MORE: A RedState Photo Odyssey: The Devastation of the Pacific Palisades Is America's Wake-Up Call

Hot Takes: The Democrats' Latest Attack on Spencer Pratt Reeks of Big Time Desperation

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Now, let’s not get too hasty with our conclusions here. There’s nothing really big going on in California these days, is there? Oh wait. Voters have been weighing in on both the mayoral and gubernatorial races since May 4 in the crucial month-long primary, which mercifully ends on June 2. 

Oh.

Even though one of Google's co-founders, billionaire Sergey Brin, has shown signs in recent months of moving away from the Left, his company has been no friend to conservatives over the years and has routinely been called out for censoring Republicans and algorithmically burying their voices.

Whether any of this came into play in Google’s apparent map change is unclear, but it’s certainly noteworthy.

But hey, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt — maybe they just never updated their maps after the fire?

Wait, never mind — they most certainly did. Here’s what Realtor.com reported in February 2025:

Google Maps’ satellite images have revealed the catastrophic scale of the Los Angeles wildfires as UCLA economists reveal that the two largest blazes may have caused up to $164 billion in property and financial loss.

Igniting in early January, the Palisades and Eaton fires, driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, scorched through a combined total of more than 37,000 acres. By the time the blazes were finally contained more than three weeks later, they killed at least 29 people and ravaged over 16,240 homes and businesses.

So why the change? Google has not responded to users' demands for answers. I won’t use any fire references here out of respect for the victims, so let’s just say, when something smells, there’s often something rotten afoot.

 

Florida Dem Who Suffered a Meltdown When New Maps Were Passed Has Been Arrested

Stupid Showboat Democrat 

Florida Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon is struggling to cope with the new congressional maps. She pulled out a bullhorn when the new districts were approved last month. Even in mid-May, she’s still upset, staging a sit-in at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office.

 

 Yes, it was about the maps. And yes, the governor didn’t tolerate it. She was arrested over this stunt (via WESH 2):

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 16, 2026

Rep. Angie Nixon is holding a sit in in the governor’s office in the Capitol while wearing her signature pink blazer. @newsservicefla pic.twitter.com/R62sMTEqDL

— Ana Goñi-Lessan (@goni_lessan) May 15, 2026

A Florida state representative said Friday that she was arrested in the state's capitol during a sit-in protest at Gov. Ron DeSantis' office against what she called illegal congressional maps.

 Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, announced her arrest that evening via a news release.

"My commitment has always been to the people of my district and to the Constitution I swore to uphold, not to any political party or agenda," Nixon said in a statement. "I will continue to honor that commitment by fighting against injustice, defending our democracy, and demanding action on the issues that matter most to the people we serve."

When WESH 2 News asked the governor's office for comment, it replied with two screenshots of X posts that Gov. DeSantis had since made to his profile.

In one of the screenshots, DeSantis quoted an X post made by his chief of staff, Jason Weida.

Weida wrote, "Reprimanded and now arrested," while DeSantis replied, "Deservedly so. Our office isn't a platform for this performative nonsense."

In case you forgot, this is Nixon when the maps were passed:

— Matt Vespa (@mVespa1) April 29, 2026

Need we say more here? 

 

The Supreme Court Just Ruled on VA's Motion Over Their Redrawn Map. Meltdowns Are Coming.

The Supreme Court delivered a major blow to Democrats in their last-ditch effort to implement a gerrymandered map that would have given them a 10-1 advantage. The Court rejected a motion filed by Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones seeking to overturn the state Supreme Court's decision invalidating the map for violations of the state constitution. Questions about when election day begins were the basis for bringing this case into federal court, as it concerns a state court ruling on a state constitutional issue. It was a last attempt—and it failed. 

The application for a stay was officially denied by Chief Justice John Roberts this afternoon. It was a laughable motion, and we’re glad the court agreed. Democrats really are currently in the depths of hell with this redistricting fight 

 The Supreme Court on Friday turned away a long-shot effort by Virginia Democrats to revive a new, voter-approved congressional map they wanted to use in this year’s midterm elections.

The brief decision with no dissents leaves in place a ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court that found legal flaws in the process leading up to the referendum.

The legal fight had fizzled in recent days, with Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger saying Wednesday that the deadline to use a new map in Virginia had expired anyway.

[…]

Although the Supreme Court was unlikely to get involved, Friday’s decision confirms a setback for Democrats not just in Virginia but also nationwide.

Most legal experts considered it DOA upon filing. The Virginia Supreme Court's rejection caused a meltdown among Democrats, some of whom toyed with the idea of drastically changing the Supreme Court by lowering the retirement age to 54, invalidating the fair districting amendment they supported, and passing any map they wanted. Fortunately, Gov. Abigail Spanberger

 

 and other Virginia Democratic leaders dismissed those ideas.

And like clockwork, we're back to court packing hysterics and Gov. Abigail Spanberger outright lying here. You violated the state constitution, lady. Learn how things work first:

 

Comer signals bid for Ky. governor in 2027

 

U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) speaks to journalists on April 30, 2026 in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC.

Representative James Comer, a well-known Republican from Kentucky’s 1^st Congressional District, signaled his intentions to run for governor of Kentucky in the upcoming 2027 election.

Comer (R-Ky.), who currently serves as the influential Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, made his plans clear during a recent community tour in Grayson, Kentucky, declaring that he has “every intention” of seeking the state’s highest office.

This will be Comer’s second bid for the governorship, following a razor-thin defeat in the 2015 Republican primary where he lost by just 83 votes to eventual Governor Matt Bevin.

While the formal campaign launch is not expected until December 2026, Comer has laid out a strategy for the intervening six months to build momentum ahead of his announcement. The veteran lawmaker stated that he intends to visit every single one of Kentucky’s 120 counties during this preliminary phase, aiming to meet with local elected officials, community activists, business owners, and educators. 

 

 

Comer also emphasized that a central pillar of his early efforts will be listening to the public, particularly focusing on “public education, economic development,” and implementing strategies to keep the state’s “best and brightest” youth from moving away.

Comer’s entry into the gubernatorial conversation would shift the landscape of Kentucky politics, especially as the current Democrat incumbent, Governor Andy Beshear, is term-limited and cannot run for reelection in 2027.

Early internal polling from Axis Research indicates that Comer enters the arena as a formidable frontrunner, leading other potential Republican contenders — such as Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams — by a wide margin. In his address to constituents, Comer argued that a governor who actively collaborates with the General Assembly could unlock major progress for the commonwealth, positioning himself as the leader capable of bridging that gap.

 

Before shifting full focus to the 2027 gubernatorial race, Comer must first navigate his current responsibilities in Washington and the ongoing 2026 election cycle. He is currently seeking reelection to his congressional seat, with the Republican primary scheduled for mid-May 2026.

Political analysts note that his dual obligations as a powerful congressional committee chairman and a major gubernatorial contender will make him a central figure in both federal and state-level politics over the next year, setting the stage for one of the most highly anticipated political campaigns in recent Kentucky history.

Harrison Ford Turns Graduation Into Political Soapbox at ASU

On May 11, 2026, Hollywood legend Harrison Ford stood before Arizona State University’s spring graduates and delivered a commencement address that doubled as a political sermon. The appearance came as part of ASU’s large graduation festivities, where thousands of students gathered to celebrate hard-earned degrees and bright futures.

Ford did not limit himself to patting students on the back; he urged “cultural change,” called for extended social justice, and insisted on elevating Indigenous peoples he said have been marginalized. Those remarks were front and center in media write-ups and the university transcript, and they made clear the message Ford chose to bring to a campus stage.

The university even conferred an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters on Ford, explicitly praising his decades of conservation work and public advocacy when presenting the degree. It’s worth noting the ceremony framed his celebrity as a platform for activism, rewarding political exhortation as part of the pomp that should honor student achievement.

 Patriotic Americans should welcome environmental stewardship, but commencement addresses are not campaign rallies for fashionable campus ideology. Turning a graduation into a lecture on contemporary left-wing talking points risks politicizing a solemn rite and shortchanging the graduates who expected a message about responsibility, work, and personal liberty.

Arizona State’s spectacle—one of the nation’s largest graduations—illustrates a broader trend on elite campuses where cultural and political indoctrination too often shove aside the timeless lessons of character and civic duty. Parents and taxpayers fund these institutions to prepare young people for careers and citizenship, not to have celebrity figures deliver feel-good catechisms about social engineering.

Ford’s conservation record is real and long-standing; he has been a public voice on climate and biodiversity for decades and has used his fame to promote environmental causes. But sincere concern for the planet is not an automatic license to lecture American students on social policy during their moment of achievement, and conservatives must call out the elitist habit of conflating fame with moral authority.

Hardworking Americans value both stewardship of creation and the preservation of free speech, but we also value common sense and respect for institutions that should unite rather than divide. Let graduates be celebrated for their accomplishments without being told their future must bow to the latest celebrity-flavored ideology; our nation needs leaders who champion liberty, work, and enduring American values.

 

Democrats' Political Crusade: Dehumanizing Jan 6 Defendants

Greg Kelly took aim at the left’s treatment of January 6 defendants, arguing that Democrats have punished and dehumanized people involved in that day far beyond what the evidence and basic decency warrant. He framed the coverage as an overblown political crusade meant to keep a narrative alive rather than seek justice.

For years the mainstream narrative has insisted January 6 was a singular catastrophe — an attack unlike any other in modern American life — and Democrats and much of the legacy press have treated that framing as religion rather than reporting. That insistence has made room for a prosecutorial zeal that prioritizes symbolism over even-handed application of the law.

Republican lawmakers and conservative outlets have pushed back, documenting what they describe as harsh pretrial conditions and a “two-tiered” justice system for those jailed in connection with January 6. Representatives and activists have highlighted reports from inside the D.C. jail and demanded congressional scrutiny of how these detainees were held and processed.

Even some federal oversight found problems: U.S. Marshals and watchdog reports flagged deficiencies at the D.C. jail where January 6 defendants were housed, undercutting the tidy narrative that every official step taken against them was routine and apolitical. If the government wants the public to trust its actions, it must be able to show impartial, humane treatment — not selective enforcement aimed at humiliating political opponents.

 Meanwhile, sentences for some organized January 6 actors — particularly members of extremist groups who assaulted police and planned violence — have been severe, while critics argue that equivalent or worse behavior by left-wing rioters during 2020 received far lighter consequences. That disconnect fuels a legitimate anger about selective justice and the appearance that the law is being wielded as a political weapon.

Conservatives are right to demand accountability for violence and wrongdoers, but demanding justice must not become a cover for partisan revenge or a campaign to permanently stigmatize millions of Americans who disagree with the current ruling coalition. The country’s legal system and its media must be anchored to fairness, not to narratives designed to silence opposition.

If America is to heal, we need honest reporting and courts that apply the same standards to everyone — Democrat or Republican, protester or bureaucrat. The instinct to weaponize justice corrodes liberty; defending equal treatment under the law is not softness, it is the very foundation of a free, conservative republic.

 

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