Since October 17‚ there have been about 165 attacks on U.S. and coalition forces‚ according to CNN. The United States maintains troops in around 750 bases worldwide‚ Al-Jazeera reported in 2021 after our last boots left the ground in Afghanistan. In the Middle East‚ we have approximately 45‚400 American military deployed as of the end of last October‚ according to Axios‚ including 2‚936 in Jordan. It should be obvious to anyone with a map and operating in intellectual honesty that we cannot protect all these troops in all these places‚ all the time. In a place somewhere in western Jordan named “Tower 22”‚ three soldiers were killed by a drone strike the Pentagon claims was carried out by Iranian-backed militias. We‚ apparently‚ launch and recover our own drones from Tower 22‚ and a lot of other remote places around the Middle East. Observing when our drones depart and return‚ our enemy simply launched theirs to coincide with an expected arrival of ours‚ counting on us to mistake their offensive flight for our returning drone. It worked‚ and Sgt. William Jerome Rivers‚ Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders‚ and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria‚ all based in Georgia‚ were killed. These deaths were inevitable. Our response‚ or rather‚ lack of one‚ should not be inevitable‚ but sadly‚ seems to be. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a sort of foreign legion maintained by the Iranian regime to train and equip militants in its sphere of influence. The Council on Foreign Relations estimates about a dozen groups varying in size from 3‚000 to 45‚000 are under IGRC’s wing. The total number of militants numbers at least 125‚000 and could be as many as 300‚000. They operate in Syria‚ Lebanon and Iraq (among other places)‚ which surround Jordan. Our troops in that region are severely outnumbered. As if none of this could be foreseen‚ the Biden administration is pursuing its normal policy of not expanding any conflict‚ which means a minimal response‚ if any. To the intentional act of war against our military‚ the White House’s response is: The three American service members we lost were patriots in the highest sense. And their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation. Together‚ we will keep the sacred obligation we bear to their families. We will strive to be worthy of their honor and valor. We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.  At “a time and in a manner our choosing” (sic) is weak tea. Basically Biden is saying here that the United States is willing to accept casualties among our troops‚ which are spread out dangerously thin and outnumbered in the region‚ and we will at some point surely lob some Tomahawks into a building or weapons store in the middle of a desert. Militants may die‚ but nobody of consequence. It won’t really hurt the enemy‚ lest they decide to expand the war. Biden’s words project timidity. Can I be honest? In a weird way‚ I sort of miss the bat guano crazy times where one moment Donald Trump was buddy-buddy with Kim Jong-un‚ and the next he’s threatening Armageddon. Trump wasn’t scared to tick off our allies‚ and also not scared of killing Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani‚ the head of IRGC-QF‚ the Quds Force‚ or Iran’s foreign operations‚ as he peacefully drove down a paved highway to the Baghdad airport. It was an assassination‚ pure and simple. The DOD’s lawyers strained credulity through a fine sieve to come up with a legal justification‚ but settled on a version of “he needed killin’.” It was also an act of war against Iran. This kind of play wasn’t just a Trump thing: President Obama ordered the unconstitutional and extra-legal elimination of a United States citizen‚ government lawyers claiming that the president has unchecked authority to kill Americans outside of combat zones‚ because they are deemed a threat. I wondered where Trump’s lawyers got the notion that a president could order Seal Team Six to kill a political rival and face no legal consequences‚ and I think I found it. We don’t have to worry about extra-legal assassinations‚ provocations‚ or strikes against our own citizens with Biden at the helm. The only people who seem to be at risk on Biden’s watch are the ones wearing U.S. military uniforms‚ who are open-season for our enemies to take pot-shots. President Biden’s guiding principle is that he’s never seen a war he was willing to risk widening‚ and the best way to not widen a war is to pretend to damage the enemy while they keep attacking us. Ask the Houthis how this works. Biden spreads American muscle laced with timid words all over the globe. American policy in Ukraine is to supply just enough munitions and weapons systems to keep them in the fight against Putin‚ but not enough to actually win‚ because that would widen the war. Our policy with Iran is containment‚ but not enough to discourage them enough from greenlighting Hamas’ October 7 barbaric pogrom. Our policy with a bold China is to declare complete support for Taiwan but with the same lips assure China that we won’t get too much in the way should the PLA decide to take it.  President Xi has all but annexed the East China Sea‚ and controls Asia’s major shipping lanes‚ engaging in dangerous fly-bys of U.S. Navy ships and aircraft. They troll us and we “de-escalate.” I am no war hawk. I don’t advocate starting wars (they do tend to start themselves). But when we place our troops all over the world‚ and our enemies feel free to kill them‚ knowing our dedication to “not widening” wars outweighs any penalty they might be made to pay‚ we are actually working against our own goals. The U.S. has 45‚400 military personnel in and around Iran’s back yard‚ but not really in any formation to challenge their military domination of the region. I’d much rather we get those troops out of small‚ exposed places like Tower 22 and into more defensible locations. Then I hear myself say that out loud and think about Vietnam and fire bases‚ and how that worked out for us. It’s very simple: when Iranian militants kill American troops spread out across the Middle East in pockets ripe for attack‚ the time of our choosing is now‚ and the manner of our choosing is to go after the enemy in a way that actually harms them. Yes‚ that might risk a “wider war.” But our enemies should fear taking that risk with us. Right now‚ they don’t. Follow Steve on Twitter @stevengberman. The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue‚ create conversation‚ and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at ideas@thefirsttv.com. 

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The GOP-led House took a step toward impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis early on Wednesday in the face of immense opposition by Democrats and the Biden administration. Members of the Homeland Security Committee voted along party lines to advance two articles of impeachment‚ one that alleges Mayorkas has “willfully and systemically refused to comply with Federal immigration laws‚” and another that claims the secretary “breached the public trust” by making false statements‚ “knowingly” obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security‚ and made false statements to Congress. The articles advanced out of committee at the end of a meeting that lasted roughly 15 hours as Democrats employed delaying tactics and proposed amendments that Republicans deemed to be political and unrelated to the impeachable offenses. Eventually‚ the GOP blocked Democrats from offering more amendments‚ and the articles were approved 18-15 shortly after 1 a.m. in Washington‚ D.C. “I am proud of the Committee for advancing these historic articles‚” Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) said in a statement. “I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the right thing‚ put aside the politics‚ and agree that before we can fix Secretary Mayorkas’ mess‚ Congress must finally hold this man accountable.” A House floor debate and vote to impeach Mayorkas is expected to happen as early as next week. If successful‚ it would be the first time a Cabinet secretary has been impeached since 1876. But the GOP majority is contending with a tight margin and some doubts among the rank-and-file. The effort also faces long odds of achieving a conviction in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The Homeland Security panel announced an investigation into Mayorkas’ alleged dereliction of duty at the U.S.-Mexico border in June of last year amid growing dismay over the flow of migrants into the country and fentanyl poisonings fueled by drug trafficking. Despite a push by some members‚ including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)‚ to impeach Mayorkas quickly‚ the committee managed to conduct a methodical probe which led to several interim reports and hearings that wrapped up earlier this month. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Democrats in the House panned the impeachment proceedings as a “political stunt.” Still‚ there appears to be a bipartisan appetite for shaking up the status quo as 14 House Democrats recently broke ranks and joined with most Republicans in voting to denounce the Biden administration’s “open-borders policies” following a surge in crossings and blue cities getting overwhelmed with migrants. The White House has gone as far as to claim the endeavor is “unconstitutional” and Mayorkas‚ who clashed with the panel over giving testimony during the probe‚ said the “false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service mission to which I have devoted most of my career and to which I remain devoted.” Impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas played out as Senate negotiators worked to hash out a border deal — with the help of the homeland security secretary. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated the agreement‚ which had not been released as of early Wednesday‚ would be “dead on arrival” in the House. House Republicans are separately running a corruption-focused impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden‚ who is running for re-election and could be facing off against former President Donald Trump in a 2020 rematch come November.

Today‚ five CEOs of Big Tech companies — Meta‚ X‚ TikTok‚ Snap‚ and Discord — will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and make excuses for the failure of their platforms to protect children online from harmful content‚ dangerous algorithms‚ and child predators. One thing is certain: These CEOs have a lot to answer for. Every day‚ new evidence comes to light showing just how far Big Tech is willing to go to put profit over safety. Just this month‚ newly released internal documents about Meta’s child safety policies revealed that in 2021 an estimated 100‚000 minors received sexually abusive content from adults on Facebook and Instagram — each day. Although employees warned top executives that Meta’s algorithm connected minors with potential child predators‚ the company ignored their warnings and did nothing about the abuse on their platforms. The new information‚ revealed through a lawsuit brought by the New Mexico Attorney General against the tech giant‚ corroborates testimony from Facebook whistleblower Arturo Bejar‚ who testified before the Judiciary Committee last November. Bejar‚ a former engineering director at Facebook‚ told us that Meta executives knew that millions of teens face bullying‚ eating disorder content‚ and sexual exploitation on their platforms. Yet Meta withheld this information from congressional oversight‚ rolled back safety tools‚ and dismantled teams responsible for children’s safety. Unfortunately‚ Meta isn’t the only tech giant that is endangering children. Across the board we’ve seen social media platforms — including Snapchat‚ Chinese-owned TikTok‚ Instagram‚ and Facebook — become open drug markets where dealers connect with children and selling them illicit drugs‚ including fentanyl. Just as dealers and drug traffickers have built their distribution networks through these sites‚ fentanyl has become the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45‚ claiming the lives of 70‚000 people each year. Perhaps most disturbing‚ reports continue to emerge showing how human traffickers and predators exploit Big Tech platforms to lure underage victims‚ entice American youth to participate in their smuggling operations‚ and traffick women and children. As hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants enter our country each month‚ cartels are reportedly offering thousands of dollars in cash payments on TikTok and Snapchat to recruit Americans to come to the Southern border and traffick migrants into the United States. On X‚ formerly known as Twitter‚ users have advertised the sale of child sexual abuse material. And on Discord‚ a messaging platform popular among minors‚ predators have exchanged child sexual abuse material‚ groomed children for abduction‚ and extorted children after enticing them to share sexual images of themselves. In one case just last year‚ a predator abducted a 13-year-old girl from Texas‚ raped her‚ and left her locked in a backyard shed after connecting with her on the messaging site. This is every parent’s worst nightmare. And for years‚ my colleagues and I on the Senate Judiciary Committee have heard similar stories from countless parents who lost their children after they connected with a drug dealer‚ sex trafficker‚ or pedophile on a social media site. In response‚ Big Tech executives have made excuse after excuse over their failure to stop the rampant abuse‚ malicious content‚ and criminality on their platforms. But nothing has changed. If Big Tech won’t act‚ Congress must step in. That’s why Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) and I have introduced the Kids Online Safety Act‚ which would provide parents and children with the tools‚ safeguards‚ and transparency they need to protect against online harms. This bipartisan legislation includes crucial provisions to hold Big Tech companies accountable: requirements that platforms give minors the option to protect their personal information and opt out of algorithmic recommendations by default; new controls for parents to identify harmful behavior and report abuse directly to social media sites; and mandatory audits to ensure that platforms are mitigating harms to children. Alongside Senator Ossoff (D-GA)‚ I’ve also led the REPORT Act‚ which would provide the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and law enforcement with the tools they need to crack down on online child sex abuse material and child trafficking. Along with many other important measures‚ the bill‚ which unanimously passed the Senate last month‚ would make the reporting of child trafficking and enticement mandatory for online platforms‚ incurring fines of up to $1 million for each offense. Without real and enforceable reforms‚ social media companies will only continue to pay lip service to the issue of protecting children — while putting profits over their safety. These important pieces of legislation will help bring this charade to an end. * * * U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn represents the state of Tennessee and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.