Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author: shailender

NATO defenses shoot down Iranian missile fired toward Turkey, defense ministry says

NATO defenses shoot down Iranian missile fired toward Turkey, defense ministry says

Turkey’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that a ballistic missile launched from Iran towards its airspace was intercepted by NATO defense systems, marking a first in the conflict with Iran. A senior NATO military official confirmed to Fox News Digital that the alliance conducted the interception. Turkey’s Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran said that the missile was detected after it crossed into Iraqi and Syrian airspace before it was intercepted by NATO units in the eastern Mediterranean. “Turkey’s resolve and capacity to ensure the security of our country and our esteemed nation remain at the highest level. All necessary steps to defend Turkish territory and airspace will be taken without hesitation,” Duran said in a statement posted on X, adding that the country’s response to “any potential hostile acts” would be in accordance with international law. “We reiterate our warning to all parties to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in the region and lead to the spread of the conflict to a wider area. It is of great importance that all parties act with a sense of responsibility,” Duran added. US SUBMARINE SINKS IRANIAN WARSHIP BY TORPEDO IN A FIRST SINCE WORLD WAR II Turkey’s Defense Ministry issued a similar warning, saying that “Every step taken to defend our territory and airspace will be taken resolutely and without hesitation.”  “We remind all parties that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions against our country,” it said. Turkish ⁠foreign minister Hakan Fidan reportedly spoke with Abbas Araghchi after the incident and conveyed his displeasure, according to Reuters, which cited a Turkish diplomatic source. US ‘WINNING DECISIVELY’ AGAINST IRAN, WILL ACHIEVE ‘COMPLETE CONTROL’ OF AIRSPACE WITHIN DAYS, HEGSETH SAYS A NATO spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the alliance condemned the incident and affirmed that it stood by Turkey. “We condemn Iran’s targeting of Turkey. NATO stands firmly with all allies, including Turkey, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region. Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defense,” a NATO spokesperson told Fox News Digital. NATO has parts of a broader European ballistic missile defense system on Turkish soil, including an early-warning radar at the Kurecik base that can detect missiles from Iran. Since the launch of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, Iran has carried out a series of retaliatory attacks against U.S.-allied countries in the region. Turkey is the first NATO ally to have an Iranian missile encroach upon its airspace. On March 1, an Iranian retaliatory attack killed six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers supporting Operation Epic Fury in Kuwait. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump brings Big Tech executives to White House to curb power costs for American households amid AI boom

Trump brings Big Tech executives to White House to curb power costs for American households amid AI boom

President Donald Trump will host executives of major tech companies at the White House Wednesday afternoon to sign a pledge ensuring the tech giants protect Americans against higher electricity bills tied to data center power demand. Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI and Amazon are expected to sign the Ratepayer Protection Pledge Wednesday afternoon, Fox News Digital learned.  The pledge will have the companies agreeing to “build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for data centers,” the White House said. The Trump administration has promoted the proliferation of artificial intelligence to keep the U.S. as the world’s tech leader, which has included the creation of new data centers and mounting concern energy prices could increase for everyday Americans. The pledge works to combat these concerns and protect Americans against spiking electricity bills.  SCOOP: TRUMP BRINGS BIG TECH TO WHITE HOUSE TO CURB POWER COSTS AMID AI BOOM The pledge will also have the companies vow against passing expenses to American households. It also commits companies to hiring and training talent from within communities where they build and operate data centers, which will create thousands of jobs and enhance workforce skills. “President Trump’s ratepayer protection pledge will deliver more affordable, reliable, and secure energy for the American people and help stop the rising electricity prices that started during the previous administration,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said ahead of the event. “This plan will strengthen American energy dominance, while also ensuring the United States wins the AI race.” Wright added: “We will continue partnering with technology leaders to strengthen America’s competitive edge, while keeping energy costs low for hardworking families.” Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said Trump “continues to ensure the U.S. leads the world in AI while strengthening the grid and driving down energy costs for American families.” TRUMP TROUNCES BIDEN ENERGY RECORDS IN JUST MONTHS AS ADMIN CELEBRATES 1 YEAR OF ‘HISTORIC GAINS’: DATA As for the tech companies, Matt Garman, chief executive officer of Amazon web services, said they are signing the pledge “to reinforce our commitment to paying our full energy costs and ensuring our data centers do not increase electricity bills for consumers.” “We welcome the Administration’s leadership on this issue and support the pledge’s commitments, which establish a clear baseline to protect ratepayers while enabling responsible, long-term energy partnerships that strengthen the grid and the communities where data centers operate,” he said. Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith also touted the pledge, calling it an “important step,” with Meta president and vice chair Dina Powell McCormick saying the pledge “ensures families aren’t the ones footing the bill for AI’s energy consumption.”  McCormick said the pledge “gives companies like Meta the certainty we need to keep up the momentum, ensuring that American AI dominance and the prosperity of American families go hand-in-hand.” And Ruth Porat of Alphabet and Google said the pledge affirms the company’s “long-held commitment to protect energy affordability for American households, accelerate breakthroughs to secure America’s energy future, and deliver energy infrastructure – all of which are critical to maintaining America’s global leadership in this era of innovation.” “Building the infrastructure to advance AI is vital for America’s economic competitiveness and for ensuring the benefits of AI reach everyone,” OpenAI chief operating officer Brad Lightcap said. “As demand for AI continues to grow, we believe the infrastructure that enables AI should benefit the communities that make it possible, and that’s why we’re proud to support the White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge.” The White House said the pledge will contribute to “lower electricity costs, stronger grid infrastructure, and enhanced grid resilience during emergencies.” TRUMP’S SCIENCE AND TECH MAN LAYS OUT WHITE HOUSE’S GLOBAL AI STRATEGY The president announced the Ratepayer Protection Pledge during his State of the Union address in February.  “Tonight, I’m pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new ratepayer protection pledge,” he said. “You know what that is? We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs.” “We have an old grid,” he said. “It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them, they can build their own plant. They’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company’s ability to get electricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you.”  The AI race has pitted the U.S. against China as tech leader, with the Trump administration amplifying efforts to not cede ground to the Asian nation since January 2025. Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania are among states seeing expanded data center campuses and AI growth.  A White House official previously told Fox Digital that the president and administration have been working on the initiative for a while, including Trump posting about the issue on Truth Social in January.  The pledge comes as affordability concerns continue to be a top issue for voters heading into the midterm election season. Democratic candidates in just a handful of races in the off-year 2025 cycle campaigned on promises of lowering costs for everyday Americans, which proved to be a winning strategy on election night.  Trump has consistently pushed back on Democrats promoting affordability, pointing to sky-high inflation under the Biden administration as evidence that liberal policies have left Americans’ pocketbooks with less cash. 

Gorsuch name-checks Founding Fathers who were ‘habitual’ drinkers in SCOTUS fight over marijuana users

Gorsuch name-checks Founding Fathers who were ‘habitual’ drinkers in SCOTUS fight over marijuana users

Justice Neil Gorsuch spent a portion of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments this week exploring what a “habitual drunkard” is as part of a case centered on whether a drug user is allowed to own a gun. Gorsuch questioned a Department of Justice lawyer on how gun restrictions for habitual drunkards in early American history compared to today’s law restricting drug users from owning guns. The DOJ was required to point to a strong historical comparison to prove the modern law was constitutional, and it chose to use the founding-era laws about habitual drunkards. “The American Temperance Society, back in the day, said eight shots of whiskey a day only made you an occasional drunkard,” Gorsuch said. A habitual drunkard, Gorsuch said, had to “double that.” GUN RIGHTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY DEBATED AT SUPREME COURT The conservative justice pointed to the Founding Fathers’ drinking habits to convey his skepticism about the DOJ’s argument that a habitual drunkard was similar to a modern-day drug user and that both were worthy of being disarmed.  “John Adams took a tankard of hard cider with his breakfast every day. James Madison reportedly drank a pint of whiskey every day. Thomas Jefferson said he wasn’t much of a user of alcohol. He only had three or four glasses of wine a night,” Gorsuch said. SUPREME COURT RULING ON SECRETIVE CALIFORNIA GENDER POLICY COULD RESHAPE PARENT RIGHTS FIGHTS NATIONWIDE “Are they habitual drunkards who would be properly disarmed for life under your theory?” Gorsuch said. The case, U.S. v. Hemani, centered on a Texas man who had been charged after the FBI discovered he possessed a handgun and smoked marijuana every other day. The law at issue, 922(g)(3), gained national attention after President Joe Biden’s son Hunter was convicted under it for possessing a gun in 2018 while addicted to crack cocaine. “We don’t even know the quantity of how much he uses every other day. What if he took one gummy bear with a medical prescription in Colorado?” Gorsuch asked. “Let’s say he had one to help him sleep every other day. Disarm him for life?” The DOJ argued the man, Ali Hemani, illegally owned the gun while a habitual user of marijuana and that he was rightly charged for it. Second Amendment advocates are closely watching the case. The National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America are supporting Hemani, while several Democratic states are backing the DOJ in the case, setting up strange alliances in a test of what exceptions to gun ownership are allowed by law. An attorney for Hemani argued to the Supreme Court that the DOJ could not adequately define what a habitual drug user was. GUNS AND GANJA: SUPREME COURT SKEPTICAL OF FEDERAL LAW BANNING FIREARM POSSESSION FOR REGULAR MARIJUANA USERS “The only historical tradition it has offered is one of imposing restrictions on habitual drunkards,” the lawyer said. “That entire line of argument rests on a category mistake because the laws to which the government points applied only to habitual drunkards, not to habitual drinkers.” The DOJ, meanwhile, downplayed the implications of the law, saying in court papers that it would impose only a “limited, inherently temporary” restriction on a drug user that the person could remove by curtailing drug use. “This restriction provides a modest, modern analogue of much harsher founding-era restrictions on habitual drunkards, and so it stands solidly within our Nation’s history and tradition of regulation,” DOJ lawyers wrote. “And habitual illegal drug users with firearms present unique dangers to society—especially because they pose a grave risk of armed, hostile encounters with police officers while impaired.” Gorsuch was among several justices to express skepticism of the DOJ’s argument, though the justices could keep their ruling narrow and only address Hemani’s case rather than the broader constitutionality of the law. The high court is expected to issue a decision by the summer. Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.