NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255).The House of Representatives is launching an internal investigation into a GOP lawmaker accused of having an affair with and sexually harassing an aide who committed suicide last year.The House Ethics Committee revealed on Wednesday that it is launching an investigative subcommittee on Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, in response to allegations he “engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office” and “discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.”Gonzales narrowly avoided defeat in his GOP primary race on Tuesday night but failed to clinch an outright majority of the vote. He’ll be facing conservative social media personality Brandon Herrera in a runoff election in May.The Texas Republican has denied the affair with his Uvalde-based late aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, and accused her husband of extortion. “During my six years in Congress, not a single formal complaint has been levied against my office. Now days away from an election, coordinated political attacks reign in. IT WON’T WORK. Halfway through early voting and the intensity…

Military forces from Ecuador and the United States have begun joint military operations against organized crime groups in the South American country, the Pentagon said, although as of Wednesday specific details, including the location and scope of the operation, remained scarce.U.S. Southern Command said in a statement late Tuesday that Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces had launched “operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador,” calling the actions a “powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.”A 30-second video accompanying a post on X showed a helicopter flying over a group of men walking on the ground, but the footage stops without revealing the following steps.“We are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere,” the post added, without providing other details of the operation.Ecuador’s foreign and defense ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The operation was not mentioned Wednesday at the Pentagon briefing, which was focused on Iran.The announcement comes after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa revealed earlier this week that his government has initiated a new phase in the fight…

Its popularity is undeniable within the world of firearms. The AR design has been around since the 1950’s and is only becoming more commonplace in the firearms landscape. In addition, the range of variants of this design available these days is staggering. Choosing your first AR-15 doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right guidance, new shooters can find an entry-level rifle that fits their needs for home defense, recreation or both. Their uses are as expansive as their designs. You can hunt with them or deploy them for self-defense, competition, recreational shooting and more. So, it begs the question: Is the AR-15 a suitable option for new shooters? [Be sure to read Alan Rice’s Springfield SAINT B5 review.] Following are my thoughts on this topic for the beginner considering an AR-15 for their first rifle. Ease of Use One of the best-selling points for the AR-15 platform is that it is extremely easy to use. More importantly, it has what I would call a common manual of arms. If you were blindfolded and we handed you any permutation of the AR-15 that Springfield makes, they would all function the same. The outward appearance might be different amongst models, but…

​Sri Lanka’s navy and defense ministry have confirmed that an Iranian warship has been sunk off its coast. They said that the vessel ⁠had been attacked by a submarine. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament ​that the ship, identified as IRIS Dena, had sunk. Pete Hegseth, the Department of War chief, took responsibility for the sinking of the IRIS Dena. While speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hegseth said the Iranian vessel had “thought it was safe in international waters.” “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death,” Hegseth stated, Herath said that while an investigation will come later, right now, Sri Lankan authorities are more concerned with saving as many lives as possible. But since the U.S. has taken responsibility, an investigation is likely unnecessary. Original reports said that at least 101 ​people were missing in the incident that took place.  A Sri Lankan navy spokesman said the report of 101 people being missing ​was not true and rejected any reports on the cause of ​the ship sinking. Sri Lankan authorities said on ‌Wednesday they had rescued 32 people who were on board and recovered several bodies from the sea. Those rescued are currently under treatment at…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! As the Middle East conflict escalates, many cruise passengers in the region have been left stranded, searching for ways to get home.Celestyal Journey, Celestyal Discovery and MSC Euribia all were grounded in the last few days.Thousands of passengers were on ships in the affected areas during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Many of the vessels have been ordered to halt all activity, Fox News Digital has learned.”MSC Cruises is working continuously with airline partners in the region, particularly Emirates and Etihad Airways, to identify and secure return flights for our guests,” MSC Cruises told Fox News Digital in a statement. The highly limited number of flights is creating another layer of chaos. “We are requesting priority for our guests from our partners. At present, airlines [that are] operating flights have indicated that they will follow an order of priority based on the original flight date,” MSC Cruises continued.”In order to speed up the repatriation, we are working on other options such as chartering flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Muscat,” the cruise company added.”Each evacuation presents a different problem set.” Across seven major Middle East airports, the total cancellations exceeded 12,000 flights on…

First flown in 1952, the Boeing B-52 has seen service in Vietnam, Desert Storm, the Global War on Terror — and now Iran. U.S. forces have hit 2,000 targets in Iran since the opening salvos of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, adding the B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress bombers to the air attacks, U.S. Central Command reported Tuesday morning.The long-range, heavy bomber has the potential to become the first military aircraft to remain in service for a century. As of Sunday night, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers conducted long-range strikes deep inside Iran. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday at the Pentagon that the strikes targeting ballistic missile facilities and command-and-control infrastructure resulted in “the establishment of local air superiority.”“This air superiority will not only enhance the protection of our forces but also allow them to continue the work over Iran,” Caine said.RELATEDOn Tuesday, U.S. Central Command confirmed on X that an armada of B-52s, nicknamed “Stratosaurus” for its advanced years, was used in a strike against “ballistic missile and commander control posts.”The B-52H is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. It can…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! President Donald Trump will host a White House roundtable regarding college athletics reform later this week.The panel is expected to include prominent coaches, college sports and pro sports league commissioners, and other professional athletes, according to OutKick.The group will meet March 6 to examine solutions to key challenges, including NCAA authority; name, image and likeness issues (NIL); collective bargaining; and governance concerns.   The meeting Friday will include big names like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Adam Silver and Tiger Woods. Trump has been adamant about “saving college sports,” even signing an executive order setting new restrictions on payments to college athletes back in July.However, ESPN college analyst Paul Finebaum, who has previously hinted at a congressional run as a Republican, remains a bit skeptical.”The easiest thing, guys, is just to say this is ridiculous,” Finebaum said to Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on WJOX. “And I read the other day, ‘Why is Nick Saban going?’ Why is anybody going? The bottom line is this. If something doesn’t happen very quickly, and I mean in the next short period of time, we’re talking about weeks, not years, then this thing could blow up.”However it…

JERUSALEM — An Israeli F-35I fighter jet shot down an Iranian Yak-130 in an air combat that lasted “few seconds,” marking the first kill of a manned fighter jet by an F-35, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said on Wednesday.Israel’s announcement comes amid the ongoing “Epic Fury” military operation, a joint U.S.-Israeli strike against military targets in Iran.In another first, the U.K. reported that its Royal Air Force’s F-35B jets had intercepted Iranian drones above Jordan as part of a defensive mission alongside “Epic Fury,” marking the first targets destroyed by the British warplane type.The Israeli Version of the F-35 is called “Adir,” which means mighty in Hebrew, and is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet manufactured by the American defense company Lockheed Martin.Israel upgraded the jet to its own specifications, including domestically made electronics systems and adjustments to carry and launch Israeli armaments such as the Python 5 air-to-air missile and Rafael’s SPICE bomb.Israel began receiving its first F-35 aircraft at the end of 2016 — four years after the British received theirs — and currently possesses two dedicated squadrons, totaling at approximately 50 aircraft. In July 2023, Israel placed an order for 25 more to build a third F-35…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The four identified U.S. soldiers killed in a March 1 drone attack in Kuwait while supporting Operation Epic Fury were described as a martial arts instructor father who was a proven leader, a “spitfire” mother of two, a patriotic history buff who followed his calling in life, and a 20-year-old whose dedication foretold a bright future.The fallen service members were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Florida; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa. Two additional soldiers killed in the attack have not yet been publicly identified.All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa, which provides logistical and operational support to U.S. forces overseas.The soldiers were killed at the Port of Shuaiba during what officials described as an unmanned aircraft system attack. Officials said the incident remains under investigation.Noah L. Tietjens, 42 Tietjens entered the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and completed two deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019.Tietjens’ twin brother, Nicholas, told The New York Times that his brother…

This article was originally published by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge.  Here are the most critical developments unfolding in the US-Iran conflict:  Iraq’s crude oil output is being significantly curtailed. An update from Iraq specifies a shutdown of 460,000 bpd at West Qurna 2 and a cut of 700,000 bpd at Rumaila, while warning that more than 3 million bpd could be forced offline in the coming days if tanker access remains limited. Export crude bottlenecks are developing across Iraq. Storage at southern export terminals is nearing critical capacity because tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has been paralyzed. Iraq has also halted most Kurdistan-to-Turkey exports via Ceyhan, leaving only about 50,000 bpd for domestic use. Iranian retaliation expanded on Tuesday, with Gulf states’ energy infrastructure hit by multiple drones. This included a drone strike on Fujairah in the UAE, a key bunkering and crude-loading hub outside the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a drone strike at the Port of Salalah in Oman. The U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran is intensifying. Strikes are said to be hitting major targets, including state media, military command sites, and leadership compounds, with the reported Iranian death toll rising to 787 since the start…