The U.S. Should Fully Withdraw From Iraq

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Screenshot/Real Time with Bill Maher/YouTubeAmong an estimated millions of Americans worried about the upcoming presidential election results, Bill Maher said he isn’t one of them. Maher made the admission on the Friday episode of his HBO show, Real Time With Bill Maher, to the shock of his panelists which included Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, writer Fran Lebowitz and political consultant Ian Bremmer.“You’re not even worried about it?” said Lebowitz.Read more at The Daily Beast.

At the center of current conflicts in the Middle East is a long-running staring contest between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. And Netanyahu seems to have calculated that, even if Israel moves ferociously against Khamenei’s so-called Axis of Resistance—the region-wide network of militias arrayed against Israeli and Western interests—Khamenei won’t do much in response.Yesterday, Israel’s attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader since 1992. That was only the latest in a dramatic series of strikes this month, including a sci-fi-esque operation using exploding pagers, that have killed high-ranking commanders of the Lebanese militant group and hundreds of Lebanese civilians. Hezbollah has been widely viewed as the most significant non-state threat to Israel. Nasrallah was easily the most powerful operative in Iran’s Axis.[Read: Nasrallah’s folly]Hamas is also part of that Axis. And ever since the July 31 assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, many in the Middle East have been bracing for an Iranian attack on Israel that could plunge the region into a broad war. But the response hasn’t come. Ultimately, Tehran decided against risking a major escalation with Israel. Khamenei has maintained his policy of “strategic patience,” slowly building militias surrounding Israel on all sides without getting into a direct confrontation.Whether Nasrallah’s death will alter Khamenei’s cautious approach seems questionable. A statement yesterday from the Iranian embassy in Beirut claimed that the “rules of the game” had now changed, and threatened Israel with “appropriate punishment and discipline.” Predictably, the hard-liner mouthpiece Kayhan, whose history includes praise for Adolf Hitler and insistent Holocaust denial, declared today, “Israel has dug its own graves; now go ahead and bury its corpse.”But officials in Tehran have been notably more reticent. Several simply pointed out, after yesterday’s strike but before Nasrallah’s death was confirmed, that whenever Hezbollah’s commanders are killed, they’ll be replaced with others. This was the position taken by Ahmad Vahidi, the founding head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, who helped build Hezbollah into the formidable force it is today. Tehran has deep-seated reasons for showing restraint in recent weeks—reasons that still hold no matter how egregious it views the killing of Nasrallah to be.First, Iran’s options for retaliation against Israel are very limited, and it can’t bring about much damage there without risking a destruction of Iranian infrastructure that might take decades to rebuild.Second, Iran has been trying for months to ease tensions and pursue talks with other countries in the region and with the West. This past week in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a visiting Iranian delegation headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Hezbollah and Hamas but put its main focus on giving out peace vibes. Pezeshkian even told a group of American journalists that Iran would put down its arms if Israel also did so. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later denied that the president had made such a statement, but Iranian hard-liners leaked audio that confirmed it.Araghchi himself is spreading the message that Iran wants the international community to stop Israel from broadening the conflict. Araghchi said on X that he had warned, in a meeting earlier this week with his British counterpart, David Lammy, that “Israeli attacks must cease immediately to avoid unprecedented risk of all-out catastrophe in region.” In Tehran, on Tuesday, Pezeshkian’s spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, likened the recent attacks against Hezbollah to Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. She called on the UN Security Council to “intervene to prevent catastrophes like Gaza and Rafah in Lebanon.”Such calls for measured action by the global community sound quite different from the stance taken by Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, who last week warned that the group’s war with Israel had entered “a new phase of limitless settling of accounts.” Tehran isn’t Hezbollah. Although Pezeshkian had claimed on CNN that Hezbollah was unable to defend itself “on its own,” seemingly promising Iran’s entry into the conflict, his foreign minister essentially corrected that statement. Addressing reporters on Wednesday morning, Araghchi promised that Hezbollah “makes its own decisions and is fully capable of defending itself, Lebanon, and the people of Lebanon on its own.”This is another way of saying that Iran doesn’t intend to rush to Hezbollah’s defense. Iran’s Lebanese allies are on their own. Javad Zarif, Tehran’s favorite English-speaking messenger who now serves as a vice president, repeated the same talking points on CNN on Thursday.Iranian hard-liners are incensed at this attitude. Even before Nasrallah’s death, Iran’s political debate was starting to resemble the period from 2013 to 2021, when the centrist President Hassan Rouhani’s negotiations with the United States and other countries in the West led to a backlash in Iran. Earlier this week, one commentator accused Pezeshkian’s government of abandoning Hezbollah and claimed that if Iran didn’t respond to the attacks on Lebanon, Israel would attack Tehran next.[Read: Speak like a president, Madam VP]A centrist outlet responded by criticizing “extremists who always want to drum up tensions.” The anti-retaliation case was put forward most explicitly by Mohammad Khajoee, the head of the Lebanon section at a top Tehran think tank and a former Beirut bureau chief for Iran’s main news agency. In an article on Thursday in a reformist-leaning daily, he argued that “Iran must not enter itself into a military conflict with Israel. It must quickly find a way for Hezbollah to save face and leave this recent war, without suffering more damage.” Iran, Khajoee wrote, “must convince Hezbollah to finish its clashes with Israel and go back to pre–October 7 conditions.” Khajoee even criticized Hamas for getting Iran and the Axis into a war they hadn’t prepared for.What Iran does next is up to Khamenei. The supreme leader has not given up on his decades-long crusade against the West, Israel, and his own people’s insufficient purity. But he has understood that intransigence could prove self-destructive for his regime and is thus putting out feelers for negotiations with the West that could help lift sanctions and stabilize the country. His open support for Pezeshkian limits the gambit of hard-liners, who are also hated by much of the Iranian population and even by many in the establishment.In Tehran, many are cautiously hoping for a new era of talks with the West. A prominent Iranian diplomatic correspondent expressed the hope this week that negotiations with European countries to revive the Barack Obama–era Iranian nuclear deal and lift sanctions will soon resume, perhaps to be followed by discussions with the United States after the November presidential election.But what if Tehran’s reticence tempts Israel into continuing its battering of Hezbollah? Netanyahu might feel that he has called Khamenei’s bluff and can now march on further, thereby keeping his fractious right-wing coalition happy and intact. The Axis might then increase its pressures on Tehran to get into the ring. Already, Yemen’s Houthis and Iraqi militias have fired salvos in Hezbollah’s defense.Still, an uneasy equilibrium has been kept so far, preventing a full-on war between Israel and Iran. Israel would do well to take Nasrallah’s death as a resounding win against the Axis and use the occasion to wind down the wars against Hezbollah and Hamas. If there was ever a time for Israel to pursue peace with its neighbors from a position of strength, this is it.

Israeli officials gave their American counterparts no advance warning of the strike that killed Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of Hezbollah, according to U.S. officials. But Mr. Biden said the killing was “a measure of justice” for victims of Hezbollah terrorism.

Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the PressBrian Williams’ return to the broadcasting chair for live election coverage is “imminent,” a source told the Daily Beast. The NBC News and MSNBC veteran is reportedly finalizing a deal with Amazon Prime Video for an Election Night special. “It’s a reimagining of a traditional election night,” the source said, adding that the program would not call the results of the 2024 presidential race, but would include “comprehensive coverage" and have access to the same information as traditional cable news networks. The special, first reported by Variety, aims to “have a non-partisan discussion of that evening’s events.” Viewers will be able to live stream the program being filmed at Amazon MGM Studios in Los Angeles.Read more at The Daily Beast.

La liga española indicó el sábado que le pedirá a la policía que actué en contra de aquellos que promovieron una campaña en redes sociales que la liga dijo tenía la meta de promover actos de racismo contra Vinícius Júnior durante el derbi del domingo entre el Real Madrid y Atlético de Madrid.

El número uno del mundo Jannik Sinner remontó para vencer 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 al ruso Romann Safiullin en la segunda ronda el sábado del Abierto de China y poco después de que se enteró que su caso de dopaje no ha terminado.

Lautaro Martínez puso fin a su bajón de 42 días tras la Copa América con un doblete en la victoria 3-1 del Inter de Milán el sábado en la Serie A ante el Udinese.

Singles are looking past their initial "icks" and bonding over shared "weirdness" and even their "dark sides" -- while others are getting trapped by chronic "yappers" on dates, according to a new survey.

Empower’s CEO said that it is a software company that supports drivers and denied allegations that its operations cause harm.

Idaho governor Brad Little praised Boise State for forfeiting its match against San Jose State University amid controversy surrounding a trans member of the Spartan's team.

A former officer was convicted of sexual abuse of a child. He met the victim during the 2005-2006 school year when she was 15 years old.

It’ll be the single biggest story. 

A Reddit user sought advice after getting into an argument with her spouse about the partner's continued refusal to learn how to have any sort of basic cooking skills. An expert weighed in.

Hundreds of roads were blocked across the region, and officials warned of more mudslides and damage to come.

Barry Williams is getting real about the past relationships and hook-ups shared between his "Brady Bunch" co-stars. 

An Australian influencer has candidly detailed her horror sex injury that left her lover’s penis “bloody and broken."

The callous creep used a rock from the parish garden to "repeatedly strike the statue, causing damage to the face, side, and hands of the Blessed Mother statue."

A Montana woman was attacked by a pervert who followed her out of the subway in Greenwich Village this week.

The Associated Press published an obituary of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah that referred to him as a "pragmatist" and omitted Hezbollah's role in murdering hundreds of Americans, among other terror victims. The post AP Calls Terrorist Nasrallah a ‘Pragmatist’; Omits Hezbollah Murders of Americans appeared first on Breitbart.

Nina and Tara Zafar are the first siblings to compete on "Love Is Blind," and The Post sat down with them for their first interview.

They alleged they were sexually abused while patients at a children’s hospital.

A European nation is considering outlawing “a conscious refusal to have children” and is even encouraging millions to have sex at work.

Will Smith's statistical regression has illustrated his struggles to hone in on his best swing — one the Dodgers are hoping has started to reappear in recent weeks.

Seven months after debuting her relationship with Mark Estes, Kristin Cavallari reportedly confirmed she's single during an appearance at Alex Cooper’s “Unwell" tour live show.

The Knicks are in the middle of a blockbuster, but Josh Hart's attention was on Chelsea Saturday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared Saturday, and Hezbollah confirmed, that terrorist mass murderer Hassan Nasrallah had been killed in an airstrike Friday evening in his headquarters deep under civilian buildings in Beirut. The post Confirmed: Mass Murderer Nasrallah Dead; Media Mourn, Biden Wants Ceasefire appeared first on Breitbart.

Beijing says it's committed to diplomatic effort to push the conflict to an end.

The U.S. announced a deal with the Iraqi government to wrap up the military mission of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

The exciting, young forward has been more than impressive in three games worth of preseason action, but that still doesn’t make him a shoo-in for Washington’s roster.

Experts from United Against Nuclear Iran weigh Iran's options in the wake of Israel's stunning move to eliminate the leader of Hezbollah, Iran's key anti-Israel proxy. Tehran's choices are all fraught with peril.

HBO's Bill Maher appeared sympathetic towards New York City Mayor Eric Adams, suggesting the indictment against him is a "little hard" based on criminal accusations.

The former candidate appeared at discussion called, "American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion," led by US Sen. Ron Johnson this week.

NATO members Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will seek European Union funding to build a network of bunkers, barriers, distribution lines and military warehouses along their borders with Russia and Belarus, Estonia´s officials said Saturday. The post Poland, Baltic States Demand EU Funds for ‘Defensive Line’ Along Borders with Russia and Belarus appeared first on Breitbart.

Reports of the crime surged to 1,218 through Sept. 22, compared to 1,077 incidents in the same period last year, NYPD data show.

Gen Z is catching ZZZs.

Liv Morgan, 30, will defend her WWE Women's World championship again Ripley at Bad Blood in Atlanta on Saturday (6 p.m., Peacock) with on‐screen love interest Dominik Mysterio locked in a shark cage above the ring.

An illegal immigrant from Venezuela was released multiple times by authorities despite being charged with a number of serious crimes, authorities said.

A writer criss-crossed the nation learning about the feelings of female voters.

After hiring former Archbishop Carroll Coach Rob Harris, Digital Pioneers Academy has quickly established itself as a city contender.

"I am in shock because we were engaged for 12 years, and he got married after one month," Kelli Welsh said in a new interview Saturday.

More than 50 people were reported dead across the southeastern U.S. and millions without power as forecasters braced for “catastrophic” flooding.

Meghan Markle was the subject of a damning Hollywood Reporter exposé earlier this month in which an ex-employee described her as a "dictator in high heels."

Aaron Judge kept ending up in sentences with Babe Ruth — and if you are dueling Babe Ruth historically, you probably have it over Bobby Witt Jr.

More than 800 animals — including hedgehogs, ducks, chickens and peacocks — were rescued from a Texas pet store.

Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to say goodbye to Minnesota in his own way.

Bob Van Dillen was live on air when he saw a woman trapped in her car as a result of floods induced by Hurricane Helene.

All but one of the major U.S. news networks failed to acknowledge new ICE data revealing that hundreds of thousands illegal immigrants convicted of other crimes are in the U.S.