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Ancient Tomb Discovery in Italy Reveals Historical Treasures

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A stunning ancient tomb discovery in southern Italy is providing archaeologists with new insight into the Messapian civilization, though officials confirmed the site shows evidence of looting that occurred centuries ago.

The Brindisi and Lecce Superintendency for Archaeology announced on Sept. 8 that sewer workers in Manduria, a commune in Puglia, uncovered the 2,300-year-old tomb dating back to the 4th century B.C. The burial belonged to the Messapians, a pre-Roman culture known for resisting outside influence until Rome’s rise.

Officials said the tomb was part of a small funerary complex and featured red painted plaster with a white horizontal band along the walls. Inside, archaeologists recovered ceramic vases, oil lamps, unguent jars, and plates, all traced to the 4th century B.C. The chamber entrance had a two-panel plastered red door, with fragments recovered during the excavation.

Four recesses at the chamber’s base suggest they once supported a funerary bed. Yet investigators noted “signs of ancient disturbance,” likely caused by looters who tunneled into nearby burials. A second tomb was also breached, stripped of grave goods but containing a Roman Republican denarius, indicating the site’s continued use during the Roman period.

Despite the looting, the excavation offers valuable clues about Messapian funerary practices. Officials said the dig “has made it possible to add new elements to our understanding of the funerary practices of the Messapian center of Manduria during the Hellenistic age.”

The site will be digitally preserved with a 3D model for public accessibility. As officials stressed, even looted, the discovery reveals the cultural richness and resilience of ancient Italy.

Terrorism Charges Dropped Against Mangione

Mangione
(Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

A New York judge dropped terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the suspected assassin of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Judge Gregory Carro wrote, “Counts 1 and 2, charging defendant with Murder in the First Degree (in furtherance of an act of terrorism) and Murder in the Second Degree as a Crime of Terrorism, are dismissed as legally insufficient. The People presented legally sufficient evidence of all other counts, including Murder in the Second Degree (intentional).”

“The People presented sufficient evidence that the defendant murdered
Brian Thompson in a premeditated and calculated execution. That does not mean, however, that the defendant did so with terroristic intent,” the judge wrote, adding, “While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate and coerce a civilian population,’ and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal.”

In April, prosecutors filed a notice to seek the death penalty for Mangione. The filing said that “a sentence of death is justified” and that the “United States will seek the sentence of death for this offense: Murder through Use of a Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(j), which carries a possible sentence of death.”

Mangione “presents a future danger because he expressed intent to target an entire industry, and rally political and social opposition to that industry, by engaging in an act of lethal violence,” the filing read, noting that he “took steps to evade law enforcement, flee New York City immediately after the murder, and cross state lines while armed with a privately manufactured firearm and silencer.”

Kathy Hochul’s Endorsement of Socialist Zohran Mamdani Sparks Backlash

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Gov. Kathy Hochul (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s endorsement of socialist mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani is sparking backlash across New York, with critics saying she got little in return besides appeasing the far-left wing of her party.

The Sunday announcement appeared aimed at consolidating progressive support as Hochul braces for a primary challenge from her estranged lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado. One Democratic operative described the move as “a calculated political risk,” adding, “Delgado is gaining ground on her and they want to neutralize him.”

Yet the endorsement left many business leaders blindsided. Three prominent officials said they received no warning from Hochul’s camp, with one noting the community was “scratching its head” since the governor has long been seen as a business ally. Some business owners are now reportedly reconsidering donations.

Hochul and Mamdani diverge sharply on key issues. Mamdani supports a “tax the rich” plan requiring state approval, has backed the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, and previously called the NYPD “racist.” Hochul, meanwhile, has pledged to block the tax plan, renewed an executive order banning state contracts with BDS-linked groups, and called on Mamdani to apologize for his anti-police remarks.

Despite those differences, Hochul insisted she found “common ground” with Mamdani on affordability and antisemitism, while praising him as “very smart.” She said her final calculation came from resisting “the president, who should be more concerned about dealing with the bad actors on the global stage, and let us handle our local elections here in New York and elsewhere.”

Republicans quickly seized on the endorsement. Rep. Elise Stefanik blasted Hochul, saying she is “desperately shoring up her Far Left Democrat flank, and choosing to destroy New York for hardworking families.”

As one insider put it, “She held her nose on the endorsement.”

Diary Evidence Fight Unfolds at Luigi Mangione Hearing

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Luigi Mangione is due in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors push to use his diary at trial, arguing it reveals a chilling motive in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The 27-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate is accused of assassinating Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, during the company’s investor conference. Police in Altoona, PA, captured Mangione after a five-day manhunt and say they found a red notebook, a partially 3D-printed pistol, zip ties, and duct tape in his backpack. Prosecutors want jurors to see the writings, which they say show he plotted the murder as a political statement.

In one Oct. 22 entry, Mangione allegedly wrote: “The point is made in the news headline Insurance CEO killed at annual investors conference. It conveys a greedy bastard that had it coming.” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office argues the diary proves the attack was a calculated “act of terrorism.”

Mangione’s defense team is trying to block the evidence, saying police violated his rights with a warrantless search. They have also asked Judge Gregory Carro to delay the state case until Mangione faces a separate federal murder trial, where he could face the death penalty.

The suspect, who grew up in a wealthy Baltimore family, has pleaded not guilty. He has been linked to anti-capitalist writings and is known to have praised “Unabomber’’ Ted Kaczynski.

Cornel West Throws Temper-Tantrum, Storms Off Camera When Confronted Over Inflammatory Political Rhetoric

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Cornel West stormed out of a heated debate on Piers Morgan Uncensored Monday night after clashing with Morgan and fellow panelists over the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the role of political rhetoric in fueling violence.

Kirk’s assassination has reignited concerns about political extremism, with Morgan pointing to the woke left for its relentless demonization of conservatives. “There is little doubt to me that the constant rhetoric on the left, the woke left … ever since Donald Trump came into power in 2016, has been this relentless use of the phrases ‘Hitler,’ ‘Nazis,’ ‘fascists’ about Trump and about Trump’s supporters,” Morgan said.

Morgan argued that this language seeps into the minds of young people, convincing them that violence may be justified. “Do you agree that this language, this relentless, in my view, woeful misuse, particularly of the word ‘Nazi,’ towards Trump and his supporters, is part of the problem?” he pressed West.

West countered by pointing to “organized greed and weaponized hatred” in society, but admitted he had described Trump’s administration as a “neo-fascist movement.” That acknowledgment drew sharp criticism from fellow guest Andrew Wilson, who argued such rhetoric contributes to tragedies like Kirk’s assassination.

The exchange quickly escalated, with West accusing Morgan of chasing ratings rather than hosting a fair debate. Finally, he stood up, declaring, “It’s a joke, man! It’s not worth it!” before storming off camera.

Afterward, Morgan summed up the moment: “It is farcical to quit a debate where we’re literally debating about the importance of free speech and being able to listen to each other’s opinions.”

Biden FBI Investigated Turning Point USA

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FBI (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Biden administration’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated a number of conservative groups, including Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA, as part of its probe called “Arctic Frost.”

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) revealed the information during a hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel at Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee.

“It’s well-understood that your predecessor left you an FBI infected with politics,” Grassley told Patel. “I’m going to provide examples of that today, including making public new whistleblower records.”

Grassley described that Arctic Frost was the “FBI case opened and approved by anti-Trump FBI agent Thibault” and became “Jack Smith’s elector case.”

The senator said:

“These new records show that Arctic Frost was much broader than just an electoral matter. The case was expanded to Republican organizations. Some examples of the groups the Wray FBI sought to place under political investigation included the Republican National Committee, Republican Attorneys General Association and Trump political groups. In total, 92 Republican targets, including Republican groups and Republican-linked individuals, were placed under the investigative scope of Arctic Frost. On that political list was one of Charlie Kirk’s groups, Turning Point USA.”

The Arctic Frost probe “wasn’t just a case to politically investigate Trump,” Grassley explained, but a “vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends and improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus.”

“So, today Senator Johnson and I are making these records public for the entire country to see,” he said. “I hope a lot of people are interested in seeing what government can do when various agencies have a political agenda.”

Joe Manchin Unloads on Democrats’ Woke Agenda, Leadership in New Book

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Senator Joe Manchin (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for JDRF)

Joe Manchin is slamming the Democratic Party in a forthcoming book, blasting its embrace of “woke ideology,” diversity, equity, and inclusion mandates, and what he describes as a dangerous pursuit of power.

“I don’t say this lightly, but under the leadership of President Obama and Majority Leader Harry Reid, and later President Biden and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrats have systematically tried to weaken the very guardrails that have protected our democracy for generations—all in the name of advancing their agenda,” Manchin writes in Dead Center, set to be released Tuesday, according to Punchbowl News.

Manchin, who left the Democratic Party last year after more than four decades to become an independent, argues that Democrats have abandoned the middle ground. “When the party pushes hard on woke ideology, DEI mandates, and other social agendas, it creates unnecessary divisions, alienates everyday citizens, and moves us further away from the commonsense middle ground where most Americans actually live their lives,” he writes.

The former West Virginia senator also targets Schumer over his 2022 attempt to abolish the filibuster. “Schumer wasn’t interested in debate or persuasion. He wanted a spectacle. He wanted a vote he could weaponize, a moment he could broadcast to the radical left to prove his loyalty. This wasn’t about governing or principle. It was about power,” Manchin argues.

In a candid admission, Manchin reflects on the Trump era, saying, “What I failed to recognize at the time is that there were enough reasons to change my political affiliation to Republican right then and there.”

Young Conservatives Show Strong Support for Israel

Israel
Israel Flag (Levi Meir Clancy/Unsplash)

Young conservatives continue to show strong support for Israel and President Donald Trump’s handling of the U.S.-Israel relationship, despite claims that right-wing youth are drifting away from the Jewish state. A new Washington Free Beacon poll found that conservatives between the ages of 18 and 34 back Trump’s approach to Israel by a 43-point margin.

The survey, conducted in late August with over 1,000 respondents, revealed that a majority of young conservatives believe the United States should stand by Israel as an ally. That support holds even among those who consume content from outspoken anti-Israel commentators such as Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and Candace Owens.

While Carlson and Owens have criticized Israel, 54 percent of Carlson’s listeners and 58 percent of Owens’s still hold a favorable view of the Jewish state. Even among Fuentes’s audience, which has been exposed to some of the harshest rhetoric—including Fuentes calling Israel “the anti-Christ”—support for Israel edged out opposition, 38 to 37 percent.

The poll also tested conspiracy theories circulating online. Of those who had heard the claim that Israel was tied to John F. Kennedy’s assassination, nearly half rejected it as untrue, compared to just 20 percent who viewed it as credible. Similarly, among those familiar with the claim that Israel persecutes Christians, 40 percent dismissed it, while only 27 percent accepted it.

ADL data shows anti-Israel narratives dominate social media feeds, with 45 percent of coverage about Israel viewed by young conservatives being negative. Yet the poll makes clear that support for Israel remains resilient.

Campus Anti-Semitism Crisis: 80% of Jewish Students Hid Identity in Fear ADL Reports

College Protests
(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Campus anti-Semitism is forcing Jewish students across the world to conceal their religious identity, according to a new Anti-Defamation League (ADL) survey. The report, published Tuesday, found that nearly 80 percent of Jewish students have hidden their identity at least once in the past year.

Seventy-eight percent admitted they felt “the need to hide [their] Jewish identity from others at [their] university.” Another 81 percent said they had kept their Zionist identity secret. ADL senior vice president of international affairs Marina Rosenberg called the results “nothing short of dire.”

“This survey exposes a devastating reality: Jewish students across the globe are being forced to hide fundamental aspects of their identity just to feel safe on campus,” Rosenberg said.

The ADL surveyed 1,727 Jewish students across 60 countries, including major democracies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. Disturbingly, 34 percent of respondents said they knew Jewish peers who were physically threatened, and 19 percent said they knew peers who were assaulted.

The results mirror rising tensions in the United States. The ADL recorded more than 10,000 anti-Semitic incidents in the year following Hamas’s October 7 terror attack, including 1,200 on college campuses—a sixfold increase from the previous year.

President Donald Trump has responded by pressuring universities to act. His administration has already secured multimillion-dollar settlements with Columbia University and Brown University, with ongoing cases against UCLA and Harvard.

Vermont’s Crime Crisis: Tourism, Small Business, and College Enrollment in Decline as Blue-State Policies Fail

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More than 170 business owners in Burlington, Vermont have signed an open letter warning that rising crime is driving away tourists, scaring off college parents, and strangling small businesses. Once known as a safe, scenic college town, Burlington is now plagued by open drug use, vandalism, theft, and public disorder. Residents and entrepreneurs are demanding that city officials act, as the impacts on the local economy and community life intensify.

The letter highlights a growing fear that parents of prospective students at the University of Vermont are turning away from the city. Graffiti, shoplifting, and people openly using or selling drugs are now common sights in areas frequented by students, visitors, and tourists. What was once described as a quirky and welcoming downtown has become, according to local business owners, “scary” and “disgusting.”

The surge in lawlessness has also threatened Vermont’s vital tourism sector. Burlington, a destination for fall foliage tourism and cultural events, is now seeing declining foot traffic and shuttered storefronts. Local law enforcement figures have called for a greater police presence, but city leadership continues to prioritize progressive policies that limit enforcement. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak acknowledged public safety concerns but stopped short of endorsing increased patrols, citing fears of undermining “progressive reforms.”

Sheriff Jimmy Baldea of Rutland County criticized the city’s resistance to stronger policing, warning that soft-on-crime policies are emboldening criminals. He emphasized that public safety requires both compassion and consequence, and that citizens need to see visible law enforcement to feel protected. Baldea, along with other law enforcement officials, has urged the city to support officers and reestablish order before more businesses collapse or leave.

The rise in urban crime is not unique to Burlington. Across several Democrat-led cities, similar patterns are playing out as officials reduce police budgets, decriminalize drug use, and allow public spaces to become zones of unchecked disorder.

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