Two people are dead after a "planned fight" turned into a shootout in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, just before 10 a.m. Monday, according to WXII.

The post Two Dead After ‘Planned Fight’ Escalates into Shootout in North Carolina appeared first on Breitbart.

It turns out that the Iranian officials that the U.S. has been negotiating with do not actually have the power to make a peace deal. So this may help to explain why there has been so much confusion. The truth is that the U.S. has been negotiating with the wrong people in Iran this entire time, and the Trump administration is finally starting to realize this. Unfortunately, as you will see below, those that are now in charge in Iran are extreme hardliners. They are not inclined to compromise at all, and that is really bad news for the entire planet, because President Trump is warning that it is “highly unlikely” that the ceasefire will be extended if Iran does not agree to a peace deal by tomorrow night…

Speaking Monday to Bloomberg, President Trump reiterated that the U.S. blockade would not be dropped until a final peace deal with Iran is reached, and he told the news outlet it was “highly unlikely” that he would extend the current ceasefire beyond its expiration on Tuesday night U.S. time if no agreement is nailed down.

As I discussed yesterday, Trump has publicly stated that “the whole country is getting blown up” if Iran does not accept the deal that he has put on the table.

Trump is certainly willing to do more fighting if that is what it takes to reach an acceptable conclusion to this crisis, and he is pledging that he will not make enormous compromises just to get some sort of a deal done…

Only a day after threatening that Iran would be “getting blown up” unless the regime signed a U.S.-backed deal, the president on Monday said he’s in no rush to reach an agreement with Tehran.

“The Democrats are doing everything possible to hurt the very strong position we are in with respect to Iran,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, noting that Democrats “like to say that I promised 6 weeks to defeat Iran.”

The president insisted that from a military standpoint, it was “far faster” than six weeks to defeat Iran. Still, he said, “I’m not going to let them rush the United States into making a deal that is not as good as it could have been.”

Of course the Iranians are in no mood to do much compromising either, and they have made that abundantly clear.

And it turns out that the people that we have been negotiating with do not actually have the power to agree to a deal.

According to Axios, one U.S. official is admitting that the Trump administration “thought they were negotiating with the right people”, but now they have figured out that wasn’t actually true…

A US official said Washington is uncertain who is in charge in Iran as efforts continue to secure a deal and extend the ceasefire, Axios reported on Monday.

“We aren’t sure who’s in charge and neither do they. That’s going to have work itself out,” it quoted the official as saying.

“We thought they were negotiating with the right people, they had reached the cocktail of what they had agreed to, what could be announced. But what happened is the Iranian team went back and the IRGC and those kinds of people said ‘oh, no, no. You don’t speak for us,’” a second senior administration official said.

“Now they have a real divide over there between these factions and we’re not sure who’s going to win it. We hope the team we negotiated with will.”

Weeks ago, I told my readers that the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmad Vahidi, is running the show in Iran.

Now the mainstream media is finally starting to catch up. The following comes from Fox News…

As President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to decide whether to extend a two-week ceasefire between the countries approaches, attention is increasingly turning not to Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, but to a shadowy Revolutionary Guard commander with a long record of terror, repression and hardline ideology.

Ahmad Vahidi, recently elevated to the top of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite paramilitary force within Iran’s military, is emerging as one of the most powerful men in Iran and, according to analysts, one of the key figures likely deciding whether Tehran resumes fighting or continues talks.

There isn’t going to be any deal unless Vahidi approves.

Unfortunately, Vahidi is “considered a radical even within the regime’s hardline elite”…

“By any standard, Vahidi is considered a radical even within the regime’s hardline elite, and his rise is a warning that Tehran’s war machine now calls the shots,” Lisa Daftari, foreign policy analyst and journalist, told Fox News Digital.

“Putting someone with such a bloody and murderous record at the top of the Revolutionary Guard Corps confirms that the regime is not moderating under pressure. On the contrary,” Daftari added, “it is doubling down on men whose careers are built on hostage‑taking, assassinations, and domestic repression. By any standard, Vahidi is considered a radical even within the regime’s hardline elite, and his rise is a warning that Tehran’s war machine now calls the shots.”

Vahidi isn’t going to give Trump what he wants.

I suppose the U.S. and Israel could try to take Vahidi out, but the upper ranks of the IRGC are filled with other extremists that are just like Vahidi.

Theoretically, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is supposed to have final decision making power, but it appears that he is either dead or incapacitated.

So the IRGC is in control now, and that is not likely to change any time soon.

I know that a lot of people out there are desperately hoping for a peace deal with Iran.

But it doesn’t appear that one is in the cards.

And if a deal is not made before the deadline, Trump is warning that it will mean “lots of bombs start going off”…

President Donald Trump told PBS News on Monday morning that if the ceasefire with Iran expires Tuesday, “then lots of bombs start going off.”

The statement came during a phone call with White House correspondent Liz Landers focused on the Iran war, as a U.S. delegation is preparing for more peace talks.

The Iranians have been preparing for the next phase of the war too.

They still have thousands upon thousands of missiles and drones at their disposal, and oil and gas infrastructure throughout the Middle East is extremely vulnerable.

Beyond that, I am entirely convinced that the IRGC still has quite a few other ways that they could dramatically escalate the conflict.

So let us hope that some sort of a diplomatic miracle happens, because we are rapidly approaching a point of no return.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post The Trump Administration Has Been Negotiating With The Wrong People In Iran This Entire Time appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

A state panel refused a permit for a Fourth of July fireworks show that has long delighted Long Beach and raised money for charity but will allow Sea World 40 nights of fireworks.

The post CA State Commission Refuses Permit for Charity 4th of July Fireworks Show in Long Beach but Allows Sea World 40 Nights appeared first on Breitbart.

Senate Republicans on Monday introduced legislation that would bar Democrat states from punishing American energy producers via "climate lawfare," contending that the Democrat laws amount to nothing more than a "climate shakedown."

The post Senate Republicans Move to Stop State Democrat ‘Climate Lawfare’ from Stifling American Energy Production appeared first on Breitbart.

The man who shot and killed eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday was reportedly given probation for a gun charge in a 2019 plea deal.

The post Report: Gunman Who Killed Eight Children Was Given Probation for Gun Charge in 2019 Plea Deal appeared first on Breitbart.

The District of Columbia, despite all its imperfections, has much to offer. It is a city buzzing with bright young people hoping to serve the country; featuring world-class museums, cultural institutions, and restaurants; and containing some of the most beautiful works of architecture in North America.

The city’s buildings span nearly every genre of traditional and classical architecture. The city boasts the stately townhomes of Capitol Hill and Georgetown, the Beaux-Arts Jefferson Building that houses the Library of Congress, and even more inventive works such as Paul Cret’s Art Deco-inspired Folger Shakespeare Library.

Yet for such a distinguished city, something fundamental to the Western architectural canon has long been conspicuously absent: the triumphal arch.

The triumphal arch emerged from the Roman civic-religious rite of triumph, and it is informed by Greek technical achievements. The most complete expression of the form is the Arch of Constantine in Rome.

The Arch of Constantine embodies within its structure the foundations of Western civilization: Greek philosophy, Roman law, and Christian virtue. This arch was erected to commemorate the first Christian emperor’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. It translates the metaphysical into the material, “making visible what is invisible,” to borrow a phrase from Pope St. John Paul II.

A millennium after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, a renewed appreciation for classical form emerged. It began with the 16th-century Venetian architect Andrea Palladio, whose works continue to enchant visitors today, and culminated in the aesthetic theory of 18th-century art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann, whom Daniel Boorstin described as the “prophet and founding hero of modern archaeology.”

This movement reinvigorated classical architectural forms, which ultimately led to the post-classical triumphal arches that dot Western capitals.

The history of post-classical triumphal arches is also the history of modern civic-nationalism. Such arches provide templates for nation-states to honor their heroes. For example, Paris boasts the Arc de Triomphe that was partially erected to honor Napoleon, while London has the Wellington Arch, designed to memorialize the very man who vanquished the “Little Corporal” into exile during the War of the Seventh Coalition.

One of the most famous of these arches is Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, commissioned by King Frederick Wilhelm II as a peace monument. As Providence would have it, almost two centuries after its construction, the gate came to signify the unraveling of Soviet tyranny over Eastern Europe.

(Even Brussels, the capital of a Frankenstein-esque polity, has a triumphal arch: the Arcade du Cinquantenaire.)

Given all this, it’s surprising that the U.S., with a political regime modeled in part on Rome’s, has long had the sorry distinction of having the only major Western capital lacking a triumphal arch.

Fortunately, this will soon change. On April 15, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, flanked by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, released renderings of a 250-foot triumphal arch. This fitting tribute to the country and its monumental achievements was soon submitted for review to the Commission of Fine Arts, the federal agency responsible for overseeing the aesthetic quality of the nation’s capital.

Working with lightning speed, the commission voted to approve the arch the following morning at its monthly meeting, with construction expected to begin immediately. Funding for the monument will come from $15 million repurposed from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The D.C. Triumphal Arch is set to join the monumental ensemble that connects the Lincoln Memorial and the hallowed ground that is Arlington National Cemetery. It is intended to have the same transcendent quality as classical architecture, belonging as much to posterity as to the present and the past.

When unveiling the design, Leavitt stated, “Long after everyone in this room is gone, our children and grandchildren will remain inspired by this monument.”

And indeed, future generations will be. While the president’s personal aesthetic preference is clearly reflected in the gold-clad “Lady Liberty” statue atop the attic and the ornamentation along the planar pier, the arch remains in keeping with the monumental style of restrained yet dignified classicism characteristic of the city’s architectural landscape.

The arch is particularly evocative of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, which was designed by John Russell Pope. Pope also gave the capital city the Jefferson Memorial, which was modeled after the Roman Pantheon. With that in mind, the arch can be understood as completing the classical canon that defines the National Capital’s landscape, spanning from Pope’s Pantheon through Henry Bacon’s temple-like design for the Lincoln Memorial to Robert Mills’ Washington Monument, a modern iteration of the obelisk.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the arch proposed design is its inscription: “One Nation Under God,” a reminder of who we are as a people and what binds us together in common purpose.

The design for Washington’s soon-to-be newest icon demonstrates that America at its best is a land where citizens give thanks not only to the Lord Almighty for the blessings of liberty and the fruits of abundance, but also to the heroic men and women who have sacrificed to preserve those gifts.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

The post Trump Is Right: DC Needs a Triumphal Arch appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Resurfaced rumors of a “stolen election” years ago in New Jersey are accurate, but the catch is that the most likely culprit this particular time was human error and incompetence. […]

The post Fact Check: Yes, That Story About a NJ Candidate Catching Voting Machines Stealing Her Election Is True, But There's More to It appeared first on The Western Journal.

LOS ANGELES, CA — Sources disclosed that a 39-year-old man named Jordan Benson was reportedly considering a career change to become an astronaut after seeing that mankind is going back to the moon and possibly even Mars.

President Donald Trump said Monday he will not let Democrats pressure him into a deal with Iran that is less than optimal.

The post Trump: I Won’t Let Democrats Rush Me into Iran Deal That Isn’t Optimal appeared first on Breitbart.

Iran is running out of options as President Donald Trump applies unprecedented pressure to permanently dismantle Tehran’s nuclear and proxy terror network, said The Daily Signal’s Senior National Security and Legal Analyst Mehek Cooke on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight” on Friday.

Following Trump’s announcement of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Cooke said Iran is “between a rock and a hard place,” adding that national security experts who bet against Trump are now being proven wrong.

“You’ve seen in seven weeks what President Trump has been able to do that most presidents in 47 years haven’t been able to do,” Cooke said, pointing to restored U.S. leverage in the region, the reopening of critical shipping lanes, and growing pressure on Iran’s proxies.

Cooke emphasized that any agreement with Iran must permanently prevent Tehran from possessing uranium—not merely delay the threat.

“The next 120 hours are going to be the most significant hours in our lifetime,” Cooke said. “President Trump needs to secure a deal that Iran will never have uranium. It can’t be five years—because what happens in year six? President Trump won’t be there.”

She cautioned against trusting future administrations to enforce weak agreements, arguing that temporary deals would leave Israel and U.S. national security exposed.

“I do not trust Democrats today,” Cooke said. “They are anti-Israel. They continue to think that Iran is not a terrorist regime. So, we have to make sure this deal is for a lifetime.”

Cooke noted reports that the United States might unfreeze Iranian assets in exchange for cooperation on a nuclear deal, warning that Iran’s economic leverage must be dismantled entirely.

“If Iran tries to fold, tries to deter our activities, then President Trump only has one option—take out the strait,” she said. “Take out the economic lifeline. Finish the job.”

Cooke also stressed that any deal must address Iran’s proxy wars, particularly Hezbollah’s military presence in Lebanon and attacks targeting Israel and Americans living abroad. Lebanon’s recent diplomatic engagement with Israel, she said, underscores Iran’s weakening grip.

“This has been the weakest point for Iran,” Cooke said.

Calling the moment a “generational opportunity,” Cooke urged sustained pressure, regional cooperation, and expansion of the Abraham Accords to ensure lasting security.

The post ‘Finish the Job’: Mehek Cooke on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump’s Defining 120 Hours appeared first on The Daily Signal.