Conservative Blogger
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Russia Reportedly Resupplying Iran as US-Russia Tensions Persist
Russia is reportedly shipping drone components, ammunition, and explosives to Iran to help Tehran replenish military stockpiles damaged by U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to NBC News. NBC News reported Tuesday that the shipments are traveling across the Caspian Sea to Iran's Amirabad port,
citing a document from a European government that the network said was verified by a Western official. More than two dozen Russian vessels have reportedly transported the materials, with many of the ships operating under U.S. or European sanctions, according to NBC. The reported shipments include drone components, small-arms ammunition and TNT, which NBC said is used in Iranian ballistic missile warheads and drones. Former CIA analyst Jim Lamson said Iran's purchases from Russia suggest the U.S. and Israeli strikes have damaged Tehran's ability to manufacture some of those materials domestically. "Iran's procurement of drone components and small arms ammunition from Russia strongly suggests that Israeli and U.S. military strikes on Iran's facilities that produce these items have degraded Iran's domestic capability to produce them," Lamson told NBC. He said Iran would likely have to rely on foreign suppliers in the short term while rebuilding damaged production facilities. A Russian official rejected the allegations when contacted by NBC, saying, "We don't dignify fake news with an answer." The reported shipments would represent another development in an increasingly close military relationship between Moscow and Tehran. Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones used extensively in its war against Ukraine, while Russia has developed and upgraded versions of the Iranian-designed weapons. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Russia had expanded military and intelligence cooperation with Iran, including providing satellite imagery and improved drone technology that could help Tehran target U.S. forces in the region. European officials also raised concerns about Russian assistance to Iran directly with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a G7 meeting in March. Reuters reported that European foreign ministers pressed Rubio over allegations that Moscow was aiding Tehran, including through satellite imagery and drone technology. Rubio appeared to downplay Russia's involvement at the time.
"I think Russia is primarily concentrating on the war they have going on right now," Rubio said, according to Reuters. "Beyond that, I don't have anything to add right now." The reported military resupply also comes as Russia's relationship with Washington remains deeply strained for reasons that extend well beyond the Iran conflict. Russia has been at war with Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and the Trump administration's efforts to broker a settlement have repeatedly run into major differences between Moscow and Kyiv. Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
in Manila in July, but Rubio said afterward that new ideas would be needed to move the peace process forward. Reuters reported that Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement. On Aug. 14, Lavrov accused Washington of being deeply involved in Ukrainian attacks against Russia through the provision of intelligence and said Moscow was seeking answers from the U.S. State Department. Russia and Iran have increasingly aligned against U.S. pressure and Western sanctions, although Moscow has stopped short of entering the Iran conflict directly. The precise quantity and military significance of the reported shipments remain unclear, and Russia has denied the allegations. © 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved. |
Trump's Indiana Revenge Tour Ends With a New Senate Leader — and One Brutal Parting Shot
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The glow emanating from the Oval Office right now can probably be seen from the International Space Station, it's so bright. The source? President Trump’s enormous grin after Indiana Republicans chose a new state Senate president pro tempore, replacing the man who betrayed him on redistricting. In a Tuesday afternoon Truth Social post, Trump sent hearty congratulations to state Sen. Chris Garten
after he was unanimously chosen by his GOP colleagues to replace Rodric Bray as pro tem.
Trump noted that Garten had led the effort to primary all Indiana state Senate Republicans who had not supported the president's efforts to redistrict Indiana's congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms. Six Republican senators who defied Trump on redistricting were subsequently bounced in their primary races back in May.
The bad blood dates back to last year, when Trump pushed Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps to help protect the GOP's razor-thin House majority. The Indiana state House approved the plan, but it died in the Senate in December after 21 Republicans joined all 10 Democrats to defeat it, 31-19. Bray was among the Republicans who voted no. Trump had warned the holdouts that there would be political consequences, and he followed through on that by backing primary challengers against most of the senators who opposed the map. Garten played a key role in helping take out the dissenters. The fallout eventually caught up with Bray, and he announced last month that he would step aside as Senate president pro tempore, making way for Garten to take on the role. Garten was raring to go after being elected pro tem, saying, "Leading this caucus is a profound honor, and my commitment to my colleagues and the people of Indiana is simple: unapologetic conservatism, decisive action and absolute transparency." Once again, Trump got his guy. Oh, and he had some advice for Rodric Bray: resign. |
The Ossoff-Platner Similarities, and How They Could Sink the 'Pee-Wee Herman' Reelection Campaign
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Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) has always come off as an arrogant jerk, to put it mildly, presenting himself as the white Barack Obama of Georgia who can give a decent speech while throwing in a lot of yada yada-ing about unity that he doesn't really mean. That was more than apparent this week after the disgusting jab he took at cancer survivor Natalie Harp, a top aide to President Donald Trump, during a campaign rally in the Peach State. For those who missed it, here's what Ossoff said:
Watch:
Even more icky was how, after the fact, Ossoff, a possible 2028 presidential contender, tried to act like he was insinuating something else other than an affair when he made the cheap shot. "Well, I’ve heard this particular aide referred to as his security blanket. And I think we could say that about any number of the senior aides in the White House," he stated. "They’re not telling him what he needs to hear," he went on to allege in an "interview" with MS NOW anchor and former Joe Biden press secretary Jen Psaki. SEE ALSO: Ossoff Tries Some Desperate Clean-Up After 'Natalie' Comment - It Doesn't Go Well Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff Has a Few Hundred Thousand Reasons to Stay Mum on SPLC Scandal When I initially heard the remark, one of the first thoughts that came to my mind was how this was in some ways reminiscent of the Platner campaign, when the allegations of domestic abuse were reported in May. No Democrat called for him to drop out, with most trying to cast doubt on the allegation since it came from a former girlfriend who also happened to be a conservative Republican. People were free to draw their own conclusions about the story, but it had more contemporary corroboration from close friends than anything Christine Blasey Ford ever accused Brett Kavanaugh of doing. But Ford was supposed to be believed, you see, because her allegations had the potential to derail a conservative Supreme Court nominee. The allegations of Lyndsey Fifield, the domestic abuse accuser, were to be ridiculed because they had the potential to spoil the Democrats' hopes and dreams of retaking the Senate. For Democrats, "Believe All Women" suddenly became "Believe Some Women" - until a leftist accuser came along, alleging sexual assault. Then and only then was the pressure put on Platner from Democrats to withdraw. One of the dirty little worst-kept secrets about Democrats, including Platner and Ossoff, is that they believe women are very expendable, especially Republican women. They are "traitors" to their gender for having the audacity to be pro-life, pro-family, pro-femininity, and for choosing to believe that men are not the root of all evil in this world. For that, their stories must be discounted, and their motives distrusted. And for those in Trump's circle, a pretty face with which to curry favor with the powerful. This was a point Salem News Channel host Scott Jennings made much better than I in a fiery rant against Ossoff on Tuesday, accusing the man he described as the Democrats' "flavor of the month" of reducing Republican women to "sex objects" rather than people with valid opinions on the important issues of the day:
DIVE DEEPER: With Guys Like Jon Ossoff, Why Would Democrats Think They Need 'Real Men' Disrespect for women who choose not to think like him is not the only thing Ossoff (aka "Pee-wee Herman") has going against him in Georgia, and is not the only thing he has in common with Graham Platner. Ossoff, who is Jewish, is not doing so well with Jewish voters in Georgia, some of whom see his wishy-washy position on the Israel-Hamas war, where he has, in some instances, voted against support for Israel, as a betrayal:
As the NRSC has pointed out, Ossoff has - like Platner - stood more with criminal illegal aliens than the citizens of his own state, flip-flopping on the Laken Riley Act only when it was politically convenient for him to do so. Something else about Ossoff to remember, but which is not connected to Graham Platner, was his admission after the fact that he deliberately lied about what he knew about Joe Biden's declining health because he was afraid it would help Donald Trump win in 2024:
Watch:
Ossoff and other Democrats kept quiet even though they had to be aware that it undoubtedly meant that unelected people were running our country and would have continued to had Biden stayed in the race and somehow gotten reelected. In essence, to "save democracy" (his words) or whatever, Ossoff was perfectly willing to destroy it by keeping a figurehead in the Oval Office whose handlers had to do the heavy lifting while we were continually gaslit about Biden's ability to lead. Mike Collins, who is now the GOP nominee in the race, called him out for it at the time: — Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) September 26, 2025 As I noted at the time, Ossoff has said and done some foolish things in office, but this might be the most dangerous thing he's ever said. Georgia voters should think long and hard before they cast their ballots in the 2026 Senate election as to whether they want someone like this to continue to "represent" their interests in D.C. |
The First Trump Resistance Is Likely Dead With Alex Vindman's Brutal Primary Defeat in Florida
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Alex Vindman has joined an unfortunate club: the Solyndra of politics club — those who raise an inordinate amount of money for their campaigns, have name recognition, and are roundly rejected by voters. It’s not just a Democrat-only establishment. Jeb Bush is the Hall of Fame addition here. Vindman was supposed to beat Florida state Rep. and democratic socialist Angie Nixon handily. He was supposedly within striking distance of Republican Sen. Ashley Moody (FL), who is serving the remainder of Marco Rubio’s term. Moody handily won the Republican primary, whereas Vindman lost by double digits to Nixon. It was a blowout, and his supporters are shell-shocked right now. Vindman was a key figure in the Trump impeachment circus over the alleged Ukrainian quid pro quo, which was fake news, a manufactured political operation by then-Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA),
and a biased intelligence officer. Maybe he thought that could carry him over the finish line. It didn’t. He also moved to Florida like three years ago. He raised over $15 million. Nixon came nowhere close, but beat the Trump resistance peddler 55-44.
Recommended — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 19, 2026
Nixon had a total meltdown when the new Florida maps were passed and later staged a shoddy sit-in at Gov. DeSantis’ office. She was arrested for this stunt. Nate Silver added that it seems with the defeats of Rep. Dan Goldman, George Conway’s dismal showing in his congressional bid, and now Vindman being put through the shredder, people are tired of the anti-Trump resistance folks. The schtick is over.
— Matt Vespa (@mVespa1) April 29, 2026 Anyways, congratulations on her election win, Sen. Moody.
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What the Hell Was CNN Thinking With This Segment?
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Natalie Harp is a longtime and dedicated Trump aide.
She’s with him all the time, as any close aides are, and somehow that’s become a story. Newsflash: the president’s body person or persons are around him a lot. There is a sexual element here as well: they’re hoping a sex scandal rests beneath the mountain of innuendos that’s been lobbed at Harp and Trump, specifically from Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who really needs to know his place. My dude, you’re a little senator. Trump is president. It’s not a contest between the president and soy boy Jonny. Yet, CNN decided to fan the flames on this non-story, taking the extra step of finding Harp’s estranged brother, Preston,
to get into the psyche of Ms. Harp. Three words: gross and weird. Harp is also a survivor of bone cancer, and this whole segment really took an aberrant turn. Corey clipped this bizarre event, in which Preston claimed his estranged sister might be obsessed with Trump, adding to insinuations of an improper relationship while also taking swipes at the president. He got his fifteen minutes.
When asked if he had a message for Ms. Harp, it was this:
What the hell was even this, folks? |
Minn.: Somali immigrant honored with ‘Outstanding Refugee Award’ charged in $1.5M Medicaid fraud scheme tied to sex trafficking ring
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| Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison testifies during a House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the U.S. Capitol
Building on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. A man previously awarded the “Outstanding Refugee Award for Entrepreneurship” by the Minnesota Department of Human Services is now facing charges in connection with a Medicaid fraud scheme tied to a sex trafficking ring. On Monday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison charged Somali immigrant Salman Ahmed Elmi
in Ramsey County District Court with 8 felony theft counts — three counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle and five counts of aiding and abetting theft by false representation. The criminal complaint alleges that Elmi’s company, Reva Health, fraudulently billed Medicaid for over $1 million since 2023 in services that were either unauthorized or never provided. State investigations and court documents associate Elmi and his co-conspirators with additional healthcare and housing entities — including Reva Autism, Helpful Housing, and Homefelt Assisted Living — which collectively billed state and federal programs for millions in fraudulent claims. Three other individuals involved in the scheme included Frank Reeves, Viktoriya Komonash and former Anoka County prosecutor Andrea Sampson,
who were busted last week in Hennepin County for running a sex-trafficking enterprise. The operation purportedly preyed on vulnerable young women struggling with addiction or homelessness, forging documents to rent apartments under the victims’ names and forcing them into a pay-for-sex scheme. According to investigators, the defendants stole the victims’ personal information to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicaid claims through entities such as Elmi’s Reva Health. With the defendants facing numerous felony counts, authorities cautioned on Monday that the scope of the scheme is likely far larger than initially uncovered. Prosecutors further allege that Elmi used his partial ownership in Tavolo — a Minneapolis startup that secured investment from Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary in 2024 — to obtain the initial funding for Reva Health. He was later awarded in 2021 the “Outstanding Refugee Award for Entrepreneurship” by Minnesota’s Department of Human Services. Ellison emphasized further that Elmi’s charges serve as “another warning” that those who “cheat Minnesotans” will be caught and prosecuted.
Since Governor Tim Walz (D-Minn.) took office in 2019,
his administration has come under sharp scrutiny over widespread fraud schemes across several state agencies. Prosecutors estimate potential losses could exceed $9 billion, with high-profile cases mostly involving members of the state’s Somali community. |
Judge Pauses ICE Removal After Check‑In Arrest Exposes Media Spin
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| Alex Pereira-Alves |
ICE hauled a West Hollywood resident into custody this week after a routine check‑in turned into a sudden detention. Lawyers rushed to federal court, and a judge hit the brakes on a planned removal while the habeas petition is considered. The story is simple — and the headlines are not. What followed should make anyone who cares about both the rule of law and honest reporting raise an eyebrow.
What happened at the check‑in
Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the man to appear at a federal building and then placed him in handcuffs minutes after he arrived. He was transferred to the Adelanto processing center while the agency said it intended to remove him to a third country that friends say he has no ties to. Friends and his attorney say he has medical needs and is frightened. That, in short, is why his lawyer filed an emergency habeas corpus petition asking a judge to stop the government from shipping him out while paperwork and procedures are sorted.
Legal reality: withholding of removal ≠ permanent legal status
Here’s the legal wrinkle too few reporters explained. An immigration judge once issued a final order of removal, but also granted withholding of removal with respect to the man’s home country. Withholding prevents return to the specific country where he faces danger, but it does not automatically block removal to a different country that will accept him. In plain English: withholding can stop deportation to Country A, but it doesn’t stop deportation to Country B if the paperwork and diplomatic arrangements exist.
Judge steps in — and Adelanto heightens concern
The emergency habeas alleges the man received no proper notice and no credible‑fear or similar processing tied to the country ICE named. A federal judge paused the removal while attorneys brief those claims. That pause is the right call if process was skipped. It’s also worth noting he’s being held at Adelanto, a facility that has faced court scrutiny over conditions and medical care. Friends worry he isn’t getting daily medication. Courts should protect due process; detention facilities should not be places where the sick are forgotten.
Why the media’s framing matters
Some local headlines rolled out the feel‑good version: “living and working legally.” Cute. But that headline leaves out the final removal order and the legal nuance of withholding. The media’s job is to tell readers what actually happened, not perform magic tricks that make legal reality disappear. Conservatives who want strong borders should also want clear reporting — and due process when the government acts in haste.
Bottom line: the judge’s temporary block is a check on agency power while lawyers sort the facts. The case also exposes two truths the press should stop ignoring — first, withholding is not the same as legal residency; second, sudden check‑in detentions raise real due‑process and medical‑care questions. Keep an eye on the court docket; honest answers have to come from the record, not from the headline writers.
Ninth Circuit Rules Nevada US Attorney Appointment Illegal
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The Ninth Circuit just handed down a clear rebuke: Sigal Chattah’s run as Nevada’s top federal prosecutor was unlawful. The appeals court affirmed a lower court decision that the Justice Department’s personnel shuffle violated federal law, and that means Chattah can no longer supervise the prosecutions at issue. In plain English: the administration tried a clever end-run and the judges slapped it down. What the court actually heldThe three-judge panel said the Justice Department could not sidestep the statute that limits interim U.S. attorney appointments. The government’s move — put someone in as interim, then relabel her “first assistant” after the vacancy to keep her in charge — was ruled impermissible. The court’s message was simple and sharp: Congress wrote rules for a reason, and the Attorney General can’t rewrite them by sleight of hand. Why this matters beyond NevadaThis is not a tiny procedural quarrel. The ruling follows similar decisions from other districts that rejected the same tactic. The practical fallout is immediate: judges and the DOJ now must decide who runs the prosecutions Chattah had been overseeing. The administration nominated George Kelesis
for the permanent job, and the Senate should do its job and consider that nomination rather than letting personnel games fester. If the Justice Department asks the Supreme Court to take this up, we’ll have an even bigger showdown over the executive’s power to staff offices without Senate oversight. A conservative take: rule of law beats political tricksCall it inconvenient for a Republican administration if you like, but the court’s ruling is a win for the rule of law and separation of powers. If you want your preferred U.S. attorney in place, go through the Senate. Don’t invent a workaround and then act surprised when judges enforce the statute. That’s not bold leadership — it’s sloppy governance dressed up as creative personnel management. And no, sarcasm aside, the GOP should not cheer a tactic that undermines the very checks and balances conservatives claim to defend. What should happen nextThe smart path is obvious: the White House should proceed with the nomination process for George Kelesis and ask the Senate to move swiftly. The Justice Department should stop using procedural contortions that invite costly litigation. If the administration decides to appeal to the Supreme Court, it should be ready to defend the principle it claims to embrace — that appointments require Senate accountability. For now, the courts have reined in a messy stunt. Let’s call it what it is and fix it the right way. |
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
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