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Republican Rep Burgess Owens to retire from Congress when term ends

Rep. Burgess Owens, a former NFL player turned GOP U.S. congressman from Utah, has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026, opting to step away from elected office after completing his current term. Owens, 74, said in a statement Wednesday that he would finish the remainder of his term “fully committed” before leaving Congress, a decision that aims to preserve the GOP’s narrow House majority. “After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, D.C., and then step away from elected office,” Owens said. REPUBLICAN SEN CYNTHIA LUMMIS WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2026, CITING THE ‘ENERGY REQUIRED’ His decision comes as a court-ordered redistricting shakeup leaves Utah’s four Republican House members competing for three seats in the next election cycle. A state judge adopted a new congressional map last year, reshaping district boundaries. Owens and other Republican officials sued to block it, but state and federal judges rejected their bids, ruling it was too late to alter the lines ahead of 2026. Owens first won his Salt Lake County–based district in 2020, narrowly defeating former Rep. Ben McAdams, and secured re-election in 2022. Long considered the most competitive House seat in the state, the district will now be open in 2026 under the newly drawn boundaries, setting up a closely watched race. First elected in 2020 after flipping the district red, Owens entered Congress after a professional football career that included time with the New York Jets and a Super Bowl victory with the Raiders in 1980. Now in his third term in Congress, he is a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and has called the Republican president “an advocate for Black Americans.” Owens said he initially ran for office to advocate for at-risk children and education reform. “I began this political journey over six years ago with a simple question: Can I do more to advocate for our at-risk children?” Owens wrote. FLORIDA GOP REP VERN BUCHANAN TO RETIRE, ADDING TO WAVE OF HOUSE EXITS During his time in Congress, Owens championed school choice legislation, saying he introduced and sponsored “landmark school choice legislation,” with core provisions later enacted through the Working Families Tax Cut Act reconciliation package. He also highlighted his work combating child trafficking, noting he is “presently shepherding bipartisan, bicameral legislation through the House — the Preventing Child Trafficking Act,” which he said would improve interagency coordination. Owens framed his tenure as aligned with Trump’s agenda. “I came to Congress with a simple ask from my constituents: to represent Utah’s nation-leading culture of faith, family, the free market, and education,” Owens wrote. “I have been proud to fight alongside President Donald J. Trump, whose leadership exposed the insidious spread of Marxism in our country and who has demonstrated that only a proud, focused, and unapologetic America can defeat it,” he said. “His commitment to working families and his willingness to confront corruption head-on reaffirm that courage still matters in public life.” “After careful reflection, I have concluded that to continue this work, the next chapter… would be best pursued outside elected office,” Owens wrote. Owens said he will spend the remainder of his term working to expand the Republican majority. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Man accused of plotting Trump assassination claims Iran forced him to

A Pakistani businessman accused of trying to hire hit men to kill political targets, including President Donald Trump, insisted that Iran forced his actions as he testified to jurors in New York on Wednesday. Asif Merchant, 47, said Trump wasn’t the only potential target of the 2024 assassination scheme, telling jurors the list included then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate and ex-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. He claimed that he only took part in the plot because Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened his family. “My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” Merchant testified through an Urdu interpreter. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.” Merchant said he had anticipated getting arrested before anyone was killed, intended to cooperate with the U.S. government and had hoped that would help him get a green card. FBI REMAINS ON HIGH ALERT, DHS MEMO WARNS OF LONE WOLF ATTACKS AMID WAR WITH IRAN Merchant was indicted in July 2024 after he was recorded on camera outlining a plot on a napkin to kill an unnamed politician with a person who turned out to be an informant. Merchant allegedly also tried to hire two hit men and pay them $5,000, but the men were FBI agents posing as assassins. Merchant was arrested as he was attempting to leave the country, before he could take any concrete steps to carry out a murder plan. Authorities, at the time, said he appeared to be acting at the behest of Iran. The Iranian government has denied plotting to kill Trump or other U.S. officials. Merchant said his handler initially directed him to recruit U.S. residents willing to work for Iran — then escalated the assignment to finding a criminal to organize protests, commit theft, launder money and “maybe have somebody murdered.” “He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he told me — he named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,” he said. Prosecutors argued that even after U.S. immigration agents stopped him at Houston’s airport in April 2024, searched his belongings and questioned him about trips to Iran, Merchant continued with the alleged plot. He researched Trump rally locations, drafted plans for a shooting at a political event, lined up supposed hit men and scraped together $5,000 from a cousin as a “token of appreciation.” FEDS SAY PAKISTANI NATIONAL BACKED BY IRAN PLOTTED TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP, OTHERS IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE SCHEME Merchant said he reported back to his Revolutionary Guard contact, sending what he now claims were fabricated updates hidden inside a book shipped to Iran through intermediaries. He testified that he felt he had “no other option” but to cooperate because the handler indicated he knew where Merchant’s relatives in Iran lived. Prosecutors, however, noted in a court filing this week that Merchant never contacted law enforcement before his arrest and failed during FBI interviews to mention details supporting a claim that he acted under duress. If convicted, Merchant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Merchant’s trial comes against the backdrop of Trump launching a major combat operation in coordination with Israel against Iran, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a strike. Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WATCH: Navy SEAL-turned-senator tackles ‘unhinged’ protester during chaotic hearing

Chaos erupted during a Senate hearing Wednesday when Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., jumped in to help Capitol Police remove a protester — an encounter that may have left the man injured. Video of the incident showed Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, stepping in as officers struggled to remove Brian McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran running as a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina. Sheehy said in a statement that “Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protester from the Armed Services hearing.” SENS SANDERS AND MULLIN CLASH IN HEATED SENATE HEARING EXCHANGE: ‘YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM’ “He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation,” he said. “This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one. I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.” Before the scuffle, McGinnis stood up during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on the Current Readiness of the Joint Force hearing and shouted, “America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel.” Police immediately moved to remove him from the hearing room, with two officers attempting to corral McGinnis. After a struggle, they got him to the exit. That’s where Sheehy stepped in. TOP TRUMP ALLY STEVE DAINES EXITS MONTANA SENATE RACE, PLANS TO RETIRE McGinnis grabbed the door and held on, wedging his arm between the door and its frame. As officers and Sheehy pushed to get him to let go, a loud cracking sound could be heard in the video. It was not immediately clear whether his arm was broken during the struggle. Capitol Police said in a statement that “an unruly man who started to illegally protest during a hearing put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officers’ attempts to remove him from the room.” TRUMP CABINET ALUM RYAN ZINKE JOINS MASS EXODUS OF LAWMAKERS LEAVING CONGRESS Police said three officers were treated for injuries after working to remove McGinnis. They added that he “got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers and force his way back into the hearing room” and was also treated. McGinnis faces three counts of assault on a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest, and a charge of crowding, obstructing and incommoding related to the unlawful demonstration. “Protests are not allowed inside the congressional buildings,” Capitol Police said. “There are plenty of other spots on Capitol Grounds, outside, where demonstrations are allowed.”

‘Outsider’ TV veteran jumps into swing state House race aiming to flip longtime red seat back to GOP

FIRST ON FOX: Longtime West Michigan meteorologist Terri DeBoer is launching a run for Congress as a Republican, hoping to represent the state’s 3rd Congressional District in a campaign centered on border security, economic issues and what she called restoring “fiscal sanity” in Washington. “I’m an outsider,” DeBoer told Fox News Digital in her first interview since becoming a Republican candidate for Congress running to unseat Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who has held the seat since 2023. “I am a West Michigan resident, and as an outsider, I believe that West Michigan is not blue, West Michigan is not red. West Michigan is all about solving the problems that we face, no matter who has those ideas, no matter what side of the aisle they happen to sit on.” DeBoer has spent more than 30 years on West Michigan television, working at stations including WWMT-TV, WOOD-TV and most recently FOX-17 (WXMI-TV), where she returned in 2024 after a brief break. NEWSOM PREDICTS TRUMP IS ‘TOAST,’ WILL DRAG GOP INTO MIDTERM WIPEOUT She began her career in broadcast journalism as a news reporter before transitioning to meteorology in the early 1990s. Known to many viewers as “everyone’s mom,” DeBoer has been a steady on-air presence during major weather events, including the 1998 derecho and the 2022 Christmas blizzard. DeBoer says she sees similarities between her previous position, where she was affectionately referred to by many as “everyone’s mom,” and helping people navigate and prepare for tough weather ahead. DEMOCRATS NAME CANDIDATES TO ‘RED TO BLUE’ INITIATIVE, AIMING TO FLIP GOP MAJORITY DURING MIDTERMS “I am asking the people of Michigan’s 3rd District to send me to Capitol Hill so that I can make a difference helping prepare people for the storms that we’re facing and help steer us away from the impact of those storms,” DeBoer said. DeBoer, a wife, mother and grandmother, says her interest in politics was inspired by hearing former President Ronald Reagan speak in person during her senior year of high school. She said she thought to herself that if she ever had the opportunity to “serve my country,” she would “step forward and do it.” DeBoer is the first major Republican candidate to enter the race in a district the Cook Political Report ranks as “Solid D,” in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 and that is known for narrow margins of victory. Additionally, when Scholten won her election, she became the first Democrat to win that seat since the 1970s. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Zach Bannon called Scholten a “rubber stamp” for the “radical far left” in a statement to Fox News Digital and said Republicans are “on the offense.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Other priorities from DeBoer, according to a press release and her newly launched campaign website, include pushing back against the “political elite” and “open-border policies” and advocating for affordability. “For me, I am someone who is willing to listen to all great ideas, because I know that the problems that we have to solve, we are going to face, are going to need to be tackled by everyone, and so we need to come together and the best way to come together is to send an outsider to Washington,” DeBoer said. “I have loyalty to West Michigan. I don’t have loyalty to a party.” Republicans currently control the House by a 218-214 majority, with two right-tilting districts and one left-leaning seat vacant. Democrats need a net gain of three seats in the midterms to win back the majority for the first time in four years.

Who is choosing Iran’s next Supreme Leader?

NewsFeed Iran’s Assembly of Experts is now tasked with choosing the next Supreme Leader. It elected Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 1989. Published On 5 Mar 20265 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)

Canada PM Carney says unable to rule out military role in Iran war

Canadian leader also said the US-Israeli attacks on Iran appear to be ‘inconsistent with international law’. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 5 Mar 20265 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he could not rule out his country’s military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East, after earlier saying that the US-Israeli strikes on Iran were “inconsistent with international law”. Speaking alongside Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Thursday, Carney was asked whether there was a situation in which Canada would get involved. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “One can never categorically rule out participation,” Carney said, noting the question was “hypothetical”. “We will stand by our allies,” he said, adding that “we will always defend Canadians”. Carney said earlier that he supported the strikes on Iran “with some regret” as they represented an extreme example of a rupturing world order. The Canadian prime minister also stressed that his country was not informed in advance of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, in his first remarks since the war was launched on Saturday. “We were not informed in advance, we were not asked to participate,” Carney told reporters travelling with him in Australia on Wednesday. “Prima facie, it appears that these actions are inconsistent with international law,” he said. “The United States and Israel have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada,” he added, according to Australia’s SBS News, while also condemning strikes on civilians in Iran and calling for “all parties … to respect the rules of international engagement”. Whether the US and Israeli attacks on Iran had broken international law was “a judgement for others to make”, he added. Advertisement Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday that efforts were under way to help more than 2,000 Canadians who have requested assistance from the government to leave the ⁠Middle East region since the war broke out on Saturday. Anand said about half of all inquiries for help were from Canadians in the United Arab Emirates, more than 230 from Qatar, at least 160 from Lebanon, more than 90 from Israel and 74 from Iran. Canada’s Foreign Ministry has been instructed to contract charter flights out of the UAE ‌in the coming days, contingent on approval from the UAE government to use its airspace, the minister said. Commercial ⁠air traffic remains largely absent across much of the region, with major Gulf hubs – including Dubai, the world’s busiest airport for international passengers – largely shut amid the conflict, in the biggest travel disruption since the COVID pandemic. Repatriation flights chartered by foreign governments, including Britain and France, were due to leave on Wednesday and Thursday, while the UAE opened safe air corridors to allow some citizens to return home. Under ⁠normal circumstances, thousands of commercial flights would depart the region each day. Adblock test (Why?)

North Korea’s Kim oversees cruise missile tests from new naval destroyer

Kim Jong Un supervised the launch of sea-to-surface ‘strategic cruise missiles’ from country’s new naval destroyer. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 5 Mar 20265 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the test-firing of “strategic cruise missiles” from a new 5,000-tonne naval destroyer before the vessel’s official commissioning, according to state media. Kim supervised the launch of sea-to-surface missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon on Wednesday, assessing the test as a “core” element of the new warship’s capabilities, which he described as a “new symbol of sea defence” for his country. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Calling for the production of more warships of a similar class or better, Kim said his navy’s adoption of nuclear weapons was making progress. “Our Navy’s forces for attacking from under and above water will grow rapidly. The arming of the Navy with nuclear weapons is making satisfactory progress,” Kim said at the Nampo Shipyard in the west of the country, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “All these successes constitute a radical change in defending our maritime sovereignty, something that we have not achieved for half a century,” he said. South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency noted that North Korea uses references to “strategic” weapons to indicate they could have nuclear capabilities. According to KCNA, over a two-day visit to the shipyard, spanning Tuesday and Wednesday, Kim inspected the Choe Hyon, the lead vessel in a new series of 5,000-tonne “Choe Hyon-class” destroyers currently under construction in North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees a missile test launch conducted by the Choe Hyon naval destroyer during his visit to inspect the vessel at the Nampo Shipyard, in North Korea, on March 4, 2026 [KCNA via Reuters] ‘Wage a more active and persistent struggle’ In May 2025, North Korea’s ambitious naval modernisation programme suffered a major setback when a second Choe Hyon-class destroyer capsized during a botched side-launch ceremony at Chongjin Shipyard, an incident witnessed by the Korean leader. Advertisement Later, and in a rare admission of failure, KCNA reported that a launch mechanism malfunction caused the stern of the 5,000-tonne destroyer to slide prematurely into the water. The accident crushed parts of the hull and left the bow stranded on the shipway. At the time, Kim characterised the launch failure as a “criminal act”, blaming the incident on “absolute carelessness” and “irresponsibility” across multiple state institutions. This week’s missile tests come after the North Korean leader pledged in late February to lift living standards as he opened a rare congress of the governing Workers’ Party, held once every five years. Kim told the congress that the ruling party was “faced with heavy and urgent historic tasks of boosting economic construction and the people’s standard of living”. “This requires us to wage a more active and persistent struggle without allowing even a moment’s standstill or stagnation,” he said. North Korea has prioritised nuclear weapons development and military strength above all else, claiming that it must be militarily strong to resist pressure from the United States and its ally, South Korea. Since taking power in late 2011, Kim has maintained the military as a core priority while simultaneously emphasising economic strengthening to address the country’s chronic impoverishment. Adblock test (Why?)

Author: shailender