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The partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security could impact how the federal government is able to address potential terror threats in the U.S., a public safety expert said, warning that the escalating conflict with Iran could encourage those wishing to harm Americans.

Jeffrey Halstead, a retired police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, and a former commander for Homeland Security for Phoenix police, told Fox News Digital that U.S. military actions could "escalate the mindset of some of these outlying or outlier terrorist entities" wanting to take action. 

"We've seen historically that any time there is a conflict, especially in the Middle East with escalating tensions, military action and now a declaration of war, there is a significant impact on the ability for us to work collectively to share intelligence and gather information in a timely manner from our federal partners," Halstead said. "With the current Department of Homeland Security shutdown, if something were to occur here in the United States, there could be some significant delays because FEMA and other very, very critical divisions of the federal government are basically shut down."

He specifically pointed out the terrorist attack in Austin, Texas, over the weekend, which left 2 people dead and 14 injured. The suspect, Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old naturalized citizen born in Senegal, was also killed.

DHS SHUTDOWN LEAVES LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ON THEIR OWN AMID EXTREME WEATHER, EXPERT WARNS

Authorities said they are investigating the shooting, which took place at a bar at about 2 a.m. on Sunday, as a "potential nexus to terrorism" as Diagne appeared to wear a "Property of Allah" sweatshirt and an undershirt depicting the Iranian flag. A Quran was also later recovered from his vehicle, and an Iranian flag and images of regime leaders were found at his home.

That attack comes after U.S.-Israeli joint military strikes, which began against Iran on Saturday morning, killed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other leaders, triggering a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Halstead, who is also the director of strategic accounts at Genasys, a communications hardware and software provider that helps communities during emergencies, warned that events in the U.S. later this year, such as World Cup soccer matches and America's 250th anniversary, could make the U.S. an "escalated target" if the conflict in the Middle East remains active.

CONCERNS RISE OVER DHS SHUTDOWN IN SHADOW OF IRAN STRIKES: 'NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME' TO END IT

He also said anytime there is a government shutdown, there seems to be a "pretty significant distraction, both politically and administratively, in every facet of our federal government and the manner in which the government operates."

"Sometimes there is reduced staffing in some of these critical agencies, and some of the agencies aren't being funded at all," he said. "This will delay and possibly impede some of that critical intelligence, which could be terroristic threat level intelligence, that needs to be in the hands of local police, so that the beat officers, the patrol officers, as well as all the supervisors, understand the latest and greatest threats, including high-profile targets that could be on the radar of some of these active cells in the United States."

He added that the government shutdown has an impact on the ability to "get that intelligence as fast as possible into the hands of those that need it" and that delays could be "very, very catastrophic" if the information is ignored or not sent.

Halstead noted that he has not seen any evidence that the shooting in Austin is directly tied to the government shutdown.

"However, when there are military actions overseas, especially in a lot of these high-profile terrorist organizations or terrorist hosting countries, it elevates the mindset for other people to take actions against American citizens and institutions in America," he explained. "That could be schools and religious sites, and it could be the way that we live our lives with freedom."

"When these incidents overseas happen that are terror-related, it does instill in the mindset of some of these lone wolf-style actors to take action," he continued. "And if you look at [the case in Austin], that is exactly what the FBI has profiled to date, that this was a lone wolf probably acting upon the military action that was taken against Iran, and then wearing a shirt, 'Property of Allah,' that speaks to his either religious belief and/or possibility of some terroristic ties."

DHS SHUTDOWN LOOMS OVER MAR-A-LAGO SHOOTING AS UNPAID SECRET SERVICE AGENTS NEUTRALIZE ARMED SUSPECT

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said: "I am in direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland."

DHS, President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to place blame on Democrats for the shutdown. After the conflict with Iran began over the weekend, Democratic lawmakers remain unmoved, including those who voted to end the government shutdown in November.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., argued that DHS still has plenty of money left from Trump's spending bill signed last year and that Democrats are not going to suddenly abandon their demands for reform. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told The Hill that he sees no correlation between the funding negotiations and the ongoing war in Iran.

"I don’t think there’s any relationship between FEMA and Iran — or the Coast Guard, for that matter," King said.

Republicans contend that the conflict makes DHS funding even more necessary, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., writing on X: "Following the successful strikes on Iran and the FBI’s warning of elevated threats here at home, it is dangerous for Democrats in Washington to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down."

Halstead said the funding fight "looks like all the other shutdowns that we've seen," adding that it "becomes one side against the other, and then they will make some strong allegations and statements and then publicly the other side will make retaliation."

"This is probably some of the worst infighting I think I've seen in almost 40 years," he said.

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AUSTIN, TEXAS - James Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker from Texas with a surging national profile, defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a nationally known politician, progressive firebrand, and vocal critic and foil of President Donald Trump, to win the Democratic Senate primary in Texas, according to the Associated Press.

Talarico, 36, will now try to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas, as he faces off against the winner of a bruising Republican primary runoff between longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

This year's Senate showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine if Republicans hold their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 53-47.

In the final weeks leading up to Tuesday's Democratic primary, race became a key factor in the showdown between Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is considered a rising star among Democrats, and Crockett, a civil rights attorney first elected to Congress in 2022.

IT'S SHOWDOWN DAY IN TEXAS AS COMBUSTIBLE BATTLES FOR THE DEMOCRATIC AND GOP SENATE NOMINATIONS COME TO A HEAD

Talarico, who is White, was accused a month ago by an influencer of calling former Rep. Colin Allred, a former rival for the 2026 Senate nomination, a "mediocre Black man." 

Allred, the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee, was making a second straight run after losing two years ago to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by eight points.

He ended his Senate campaign late last year, just before Crockett announced her candidacy. Allred, a former college football star who played professionally in the NFL and later became a civil rights attorney, is now running for his old House seat.

QUITE GOP ‘ASTROTURF’ CAMPAIGN CONVINCED CROCKETT TO JUMP INTO SENATE RACE

Morgan Thompson, the influencer who goes by the username @morga_tt on TikTok, in a social media post claimed Talarico told her in a private conversation that he had "signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent, Black woman."

Pushing back against Thompson's characterization of their conversation, Talarico said in a statement, "In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race."

Allred, responding in a social media video on Monday, said: "James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man."

TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SIDESTEP ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONCERNS FOLLOWING DEADLY AUSTIN ATTACK

The 44-year-old Crockett, who is Black, said in a statement that Allred "drew a line in the sand."

"He made it clear that he did not take allegations of an attack on him as simply another day in the neighborhood, but more importantly, his post wasn’t about himself," Crockett, who was endorsed by Allred, said. "It was a moment that he decided to stand for all people who have been targeted and talked about in a demeaning way as our country continues to be divided."

A couple of weeks later, Crockett claimed that a Talarico-aligned super PAC had darkened her skin tone in an ad and said it was "straight up racist."

She also argued late last month that talk that she wasn't electable statewide was a "dog whistle" that was "tearing down a Black woman," and that she was the "most qualified" candidate.

CARDI B ENDORSES JASMINE CROCKETT FOR TEXAS SENATE, DECLARING 'VOTE FOR MY SISTER'

Talarico, who was first elected to the Texas House in 2018 by flipping a red district in northeast Austin and surrounding suburbs, highlighted his ability to win over Republican voters. And he questioned whether Crockett could run a competitive general election campaign.

While dramatically outraising and outspending Crockett the past two months, Talarico cast himself as the underdog in the primary battle against the better-known congresswoman.

Talarico, who speaks openly about his faith and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, last year started garnering national attention through a slew of social media appearances that went viral. Also boosting his profile were his TikTok videos, which have grabbed millions of views, and his appearance last July on Joe Rogan's top-rated podcast.

Rogan suggested during the interview that Talarico should run for president.

A month later, Talarico was a regular on the cable news networks, conducting dozens of national media interviews, as he and dozens of his fellow Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for weeks, to delay the eventual Trump-led redistricting push in Texas to create up to five more right-leaning congressional seats

Talarico launched his Senate campaign a month later, in September.

Last month, Talarcio grabbed even more national attention when his appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" was bumped off broadcast TV and instead appeared on YouTube. Colbert accused his network, CBS, of blocking the interview by citing guidelines from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The controversy appeared to boost Talarico, with his campaign saying they hauled in $2.5 million in fundraising in the 24 hours "following his censored" interview.

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Four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, lost his Republican primary battle on Tuesday to Steve Toth, a state representative and businessman, following years of turmoil between Crenshaw and the MAGA faction of the Republican Party that questioned Crenshaw's loyalty to Trump.

The 2nd Congressional District primary that ended Tuesday with Toth beating out Crenshaw drew a sharp line within the Republican Party. Crenshaw was not formally endorsed by President Donald Trump or Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, endorsed Toth after he reportedly got into a tiff with Crenshaw at the airport over whether the senator was working against the representative's reelection.

Ahead of the Tuesday primary, Toth positioned himself as the more loyal conservative, comparing Crenshaw to a "version of Liz Cheney," who, when in Congress, found herself frequently at odds with Trump before exiting public office.

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Toth, a Texas State Representative since 2019 who also owns a residential and commercial pool management company, received endorsements from the House Freedom Caucus, Turning Point USA, Sen. Cruz, Texas Right to Life, 21 Republican colleagues from the Texas state legislature and some high-profile local conservatives.

Meanwhile, Crenshaw received endorsements from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, leader of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., the National Border Patrol Council, and the National Rifle Association, among others. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also told media ahead of the primary that he "supported" Crenshaw, and that "hopefully he pulls it out."   

Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost his eye in combat and currently sits on the powerful House intelligence committee, fought back against the label that he was an insufficiently loyal MAGA Republican ahead of the primary.

"My relationship with Trump is good," Crenshaw told the Houston Chronicle, which also endorsed the incumbent congressman, in advance of Tuesday's primary. "I work very closely with his administration. I'm close with Pete Hegseth and John Ratcliffe and Kash Patel, because this is all within my scope too on the [House] Intelligence Committee. We work very closely together with the White House. You'd have to not pay attention to any of that to think I'm not ‘Trump’ enough."

FBI INVESTIGATES DEADLY TEXAS BAR SHOOTING AS POSSIBLE TERRORISM

In 2020, Crenshaw ran unopposed, then won about two-thirds of the vote in the following 2022 primary, according to Ballotpedia. But, in 2024, according to the database, Crenshaw's popularity dipped significantly to around just 60% in the primary.

Just days ahead of Tuesday's primary, reports surfaced of Crenshaw and Cruz getting into a tense exchange at the airport, during which Crenshaw allegedly accused Cruz of working against him in the House primary. According to reporting, Cruz responded: "If I’m working against you, you’re gonna know it." 

Days later, he dropped his Toth endorsement, followed by a paid ad to get the word out.

"You deserve an unwavering fighter, a Republican who walks the walk," Cruz says in the ad, which does not refer to Crenshaw.

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Crenshaw had a substantial fundraising advantage over his opponents, but also faced redistricting changes in his district that drew parts of Toth's home district into the race.

Toth will take on Democratic nominee and investment banker Shaun Finnie, who ran unopposed in the primary, during November's general election to be the next Representative of Texas's 2nd Congressional District covering parts of the greater Houston and surrounding areas.

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Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the global economy, strengthening national security and redefining geopolitical competition. The hyperscale data centers that power AI are becoming as foundational to this century as railroads and interstate highways were to the last.

The Trump administration has made American leadership in AI a priority, accelerating permitting, securing energy supply and clearing barriers to critical infrastructure. That urgency is warranted. China has committed more than $125 billion to artificial intelligence, advanced computing and the energy systems needed to dominate emerging technologies. Beijing understands that whoever controls AI will shape markets and military capability for decades.

If the United States hesitates, China will not.

But speed without discipline invites backlash, and that backlash can quickly harden into delay, litigation and sometimes outright prohibition.

AI RAISES THE STAKES FOR NATIONAL SECURITY. HERE’S HOW TO GET IT RIGHT

Across the country, AI data center projects are encountering growing resistance. In 2025 alone, at least 25 projects were canceled, four times more than the year before, eliminating gigawatts of planned capacity. Nearly 100 projects nationwide are now contested. Opposition spans party lines, from rural landowners to environmental advocates to ratepayer groups worried that rapid AI expansion will drive up electricity and water bills for local families.

In many communities, the central fear is straightforward: Big Tech will profit while residents pay higher utility costs.

In December, more than 230 environmental organizations urged Congress to impose a nationwide moratorium on new data center approvals. A moratorium would freeze investment, stall innovation and hand China a strategic advantage.

KYRSTEN SINEMA WARNS US ADVERSARY WILL PROGRAM AI WITH 'CHINESE VALUES' IF AMERICA FALLS BEHIND IN TECH RACE

At the same time, community concerns are legitimate. Residents want to know whether data centers will strain local grids, raise electricity bills, increase water rates, divert scarce supplies, consume farmland or wildlife habitat and overpromise economic gains. When those questions are not addressed early, delay becomes the norm and cancellation the outcome. Nearly 40% percent of heavily contested projects ultimately fail. At a time of intensifying global competition, that kind of self-inflicted drag is a strategic mistake.

The choice is not between heavy federal regulation and ignoring local concerns. There is a better path rooted in market discipline, transparency and voluntary standards. 

Voluntary standards are not a concession to opposition; they are a strategy for sustaining durable public confidence, what some call a "social license to operate." In a democratic system, infrastructure depends not only on permits but on continued public trust.

SCOOP: TRUMP BRINGS BIG TECH TO WHITE HOUSE TO CURB POWER COSTS AMID AI BOOM

America learned this lesson during the early years of the shale natural gas boom. Producers that improved water stewardship, reduced air impacts and engaged communities early were able to continue development. Where public confidence collapsed, moratoria and bans often followed. Trust, once lost, is far more difficult to rebuild than to establish from the outset.

AI infrastructure now faces a similar inflection point. If projects move forward without clear performance commitments, they risk becoming politically untenable. But if developers adopt credible, independently verified standards early, they can reduce uncertainty, limit conflict and accelerate responsible buildout.

Encouragingly, federal policymakers are exploring voluntary compacts with leading AI infrastructure providers. That model of partnership rather than prescriptive mandates can create national consistency without freezing innovation.

TRUMP'S SCIENCE AND TECH MAN LAYS OUT WHITE HOUSE'S GLOBAL AI STRATEGY

Developers should adopt independently verified standards for responsible AI infrastructure, with clear benchmarks for energy reliability, electricity affordability, water stewardship, responsible siting, community engagement and transparency. Congress and federal agencies can reinforce this approach by recognizing credible voluntary standards in permitting and infrastructure planning.

Energy reliability and electricity affordability must come first. AI infrastructure cannot destabilize regional grids or shift rising power costs onto working families and small businesses. Projects must demonstrate that new demand will not force rate increases or undermine long-term grid stability.

Water use must be addressed candidly, particularly in arid regions. Developers should show that operations will not increase local water rates, crowd out existing residential or agricultural needs, or strain long-term supply security.

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Responsible siting should prioritize industrial or previously disturbed land and, where possible, avoid sensitive habitats. Where practicable, projects should incorporate forested buffers to soften visual impacts and protect neighboring land uses. Communities deserve early engagement, not assurances after permits are filed, and commitments should be subject to independent verification rather than glossy sustainability reports.

This approach does not expand federal bureaucracy. It aligns market incentives with community trust and reduces litigation risk. It allows projects to move faster precisely because concerns are addressed upfront rather than in court.

America has learned that infrastructure without public confidence leads to paralysis. After years of delay in energy projects, lawmakers are only now restoring momentum through permitting reform. We should not repeat the cycle with AI.

AI will shape the next generation of prosperity and security. America must build the infrastructure to power it with speed and discipline. If we do not, China will.

Brent Fewell serves as general counsel of ConservAmerica. He previously served as principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Water at the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

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In the early morning hours of Feb. 22, Mexican Army special forces — acting on U.S. intelligence — waged a brutal gun battle at a luxury villa in the Sierra Madre mountains, killing the cartel boss known as El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

It was a historic victory in President Donald Trump’s war against the narco-terrorists who have poisoned America for decades. Let us pray it is the first of many.

Six major Mexican cartels dominate the flow of deadly drugs into the United States. The CJNG is the most savage. Its sales of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine top $12 billion annually. Inside Mexico, it uses mass executions, torture and kidnappings to strike fear into both the population and law enforcement.

The Trump administration rightfully designated all six major Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, but they are more than that. They are among the most powerful criminal organizations the world has ever seen, and the single deadliest enemy in American history.

DEM VOTERS WERE LESS ENTHUSIASTIC WHEN TRUMP TOUTED CRACKDOWN ON CARTELS AND FENTANYL, SOTU DIAL REVEALS

The cartels maintain cells in all 50 states, using them to control the importation and distribution of nearly all the fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and much of the cocaine entering our country. Since 1999, their poison has killed more than 1 million Americans. The opioid crisis alone has claimed nearly eight times as many American lives as every U.S. military conflict since World War II combined.

When I served as U.S. drug czar under President George H.W. Bush, I often heard the argument that the real problem was demand for drugs in America — that the cartels were merely meeting it.

The evidence tells a different story: oversupply of drugs directly contributes to demand.

MAJOR DRUG LORD 'EL MENCHO' KILLED IN MEXICAN MILITARY OPERATION WITH US INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT

In the opioid epidemic, overdose deaths are tightly correlated with surges in supply. Cartels flood the market with cheap, ultra-potent fentanyl and press it into counterfeit pills that look like legitimate prescription medicine, hooking unsuspecting users. They also use sophisticated social media tactics to target teenagers and young adults. These are not passive suppliers but industrial-scale predators cultivating new generations of addicts.

The human and economic toll is staggering. The cartels have hollowed out American communities and fueled waves of crime in cities and small towns across the country. They have cost America hundreds of billions in healthcare and law enforcement expenses, to say nothing of lost productivity.

For years, politicians largely sat by and watched. It took Trump to name the cartels for what they are — a national security threat — and commit our military, diplomatic and intelligence resources to stopping them.

The death of El Mencho was a good start, but not more than that. This was immediately clear when cartel loyalists conducted a widespread campaign of retaliation across Mexico, burning vehicles to create roadblocks and killing at least 25 Mexican national guard members.

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When a kingpin falls, there is no shortage of evil to take his place. Cartels survive decapitations unless we attack the broader structures supporting them, including the money, chemical inputs, weapons pipelines, logistics networks and corruption tactics that shield them from justice.

Trump said after the raid that Mexico must continue to "step up their effort" on cartels and drugs. He is right, and America must do the same.

That requires being honest about what is at stake. This is not just a strategic fight but a moral one. The drugs from these cartels corrode our national spirit and attack the dignity of human life. They normalize lawlessness and target our most vulnerable, including our youth — our future. 

The war against the cartels will require persistence and moral clarity to win outright. And win outright we must. We owe it to the more than 1 million Americans already lost, and the many more who hang in the balance. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM WILLIAM J. BENNETT

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Well, so much for all the weekend punditry that was to follow Donald Trump's State of the Union. 

And the expert analysis of the tariff confusion caused by the president's loss in the Supreme Court? That's on hold too. 

When Trump unleashed the bombing barrage against Iran, joined by Israeli forces, he did more than take a giant, risky step against the world's leading sponsor of terrorism. 

The attacks targeted Iran’s supreme leader, and succeeded in killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a remarkable military achievement. 

IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER ALI KHAMENEI DEAD AFTER IDF STRIKE HITS TEHRAN COMPOUND, ISRAELI SOURCE CONFIRMS

Behind such pinpoint targeting, Trump uttered a crucial phrase: regime change. 

Those words have resonance because they echo George W. Bush’s rhetoric from two decades ago. Bush's announced goal was to topple Saddam Hussein – rather than stopping short, as his father had done – albeit on fictional claims of weapons of mass destruction. And that drive was aided by rally-round-the-flag, almost fawning media coverage. 

I feel strongly about this because while at the Washington Post, I did a lengthy report in which the paper’s leaders admitted they too eagerly joined the march to war and downplayed contrary evidence. "I think I was part of the groupthink," Bob Woodward told me. 

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So Trump is no longer merely trying to stop Iran's nuclear program, which he claimed to have done nine months ago with that surprise attack on Tehran's underground nuclear sites. 

Now the president is saying he wants Iranians to topple the latest in a long line of theocratic authoritarians who rule that country with an iron fist – as if they could make that happen on their own. 

Not that I have the slightest sympathy for these awful ayatollahs. Trump called Khamenei "one of the most evil people in History."

Many Trump supporters were drawn to his America First language, which they viewed as an end to faraway wars. Instead, they've gotten the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, whose Venezuela is about a third the size of Iran. And the threats, finally dropped, to take over Greenland. Plus, now the second shelling of Iran. 

No wonder some of his conservative allies are opposing these military strikes. They want federal money spent here, not in a volatile region driven by centuries of ethnic hatred. 

The Iranian retaliation – against Israel and U.S. bases in several nearby Arab countries – was both immediate and predictable. So now we find ourselves in a regional war. 

While the butchery of Khamenei sealed his fate, the targeted assassination of another head of state certainly fuels critics who see the U.S. acting as the Great Satan. At the same time, most neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, want nothing to do Iran or its proxies such as Hamas. 

OPERATION EPIC FURY: HOW AMERICA'S AIR POWER IS CRUSHING IRAN’S TERROR REGIME

On the question of why the military escalation was launched now, some of Trump’s explanations seemed based on disputed or exaggerated evidence, given that Tehran is not close to completing a bomb. He may have decided the regime is too weak to survive the moment. 

But the Iranian hardliners who flatly refused to drop their nuclear ambitions left Trump little choice. 

This is the same gang of dictators that murdered thousands of protesters in the streets. Trump kept claiming the practice had stopped, but that wasn’t true, except for public hangings. It's all too reminiscent of the Beijing crackdown at Tiananmen Square in 1989. 

Let's go back even further. What civilized country would hold 52 diplomats hostage for more than a year, to pressure America to turn over an ailing Shah Reza Pahlavi? I guess the key word is civilized. 

The 444-day ordeal ended Jimmy Carter’s presidency, but also served notice that not even American embassies were safe. 

Chuck Schumer wants to push ahead with invoking the War Powers Act, since the Constitution gives that authority to Congress. It’s kinda late for that. 

Politically speaking, who could vote to undermine the administration now that our pilots are risking their lives in the assault on Iran?

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

Come on, in the modern age, presidents wage war and Congress holds hearings. Whether it was JFK and Cuba, Ronald Reagan and Grenada, George H. W. Bush and Panama, Bill Clinton and Kosovo or many others, the commander-in-chief gives the orders. 

But war also brings casualties, as Trump rightly pointed out. 

Before the invasion of Iraq, Bush's CIA chief said there was a "slam-dunk" case that Saddam had illegal weapons. As the media get swept up in the coverage of Trump’s war in Iran, they might display the kind of skepticism that was sorely missing during that last Middle East showdown. 

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If you have ever turned on your VPN and suddenly could not log in to your bank, email, streaming service or work portal, you are not imagining things. In fact, this is one of the most common frustrations VPN users face today.

However, the issue is not that VPNs stopped working. Instead, websites have become far more aggressive about blocking traffic that looks suspicious.

As a result, the way your VPN is built now matters just as much as whether you use one at all.

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WHAT TRUMP'S ‘RATEPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE’ MEANS FOR YOU

Most VPNs give you a shared IP address. As a result, hundreds or even thousands of people can appear online from the same address at the same time. From a website's perspective, that traffic pattern raises red flags. When platforms detect too many logins, rapid location changes or unusual activity tied to one IP, they step in quickly. In many cases, they respond by:

Meanwhile, you did nothing wrong. Instead, you end up dealing with restrictions caused by other users sharing that same IP address.

With a dedicated IP, you get an address that belongs only to you. Unlike shared VPN connections, no one else uses it.

Each time you connect, you use the same IP address. As a result, you avoid sharing traffic, rotating locations or competing with random users whose activity could trigger blocks.

Because of that consistency, your connection looks much more like a typical home or office internet setup. And that simple difference can dramatically reduce website suspicion and login headaches.

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That consistency does more than reduce suspicion; it improves how smoothly you access the sites and services you use every day.

Banks, government portals, healthcare sites, and streaming services are far less likely to block a dedicated IP because it does not show heavy or erratic traffic patterns.

Those endless "prove you're human" messages are usually triggered by shared IP abuse. A dedicated IP dramatically reduces them.

Financial institutions and email providers often flag constantly changing IP addresses as suspicious. A dedicated IP stays consistent, so login alerts and lockouts happen far less often.

Some employers only allow access from approved IP addresses. Shared VPN IPs cannot be approved. Dedicated IPs can.

Shared VPN IPs are often the first to get blocked when streaming services crack down. Dedicated IPs are less likely to be flagged because traffic looks normal and predictable.

A dedicated IP:

Your traffic remains encrypted, and your real location stays hidden. You simply get a connection that websites trust more.

A dedicated IP is especially helpful if you:

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If you want these benefits, look for a VPN provider that offers a dedicated IP option built directly into its service. Some providers include it in premium plans, while others offer it as an add-on. Either way, the process should be simple. You should be able to select your dedicated IP inside the app without advanced setup or manual configuration. Before signing up, check that the provider also offers strong speeds, reliable uptime and clear privacy policies. A dedicated IP improves access, but overall performance still matters.

A dedicated IP reduces blocks. However, a quality VPN should also deliver strong security and smooth performance.

Fast, stable connections: Speed matters for streaming, video calls and everyday browsing. Look for providers known for consistent performance.

Wide server coverage: More server locations give you flexibility when traveling and help reduce location errors.

Clear privacy practices: Choose a VPN with a strict no-logs policy and independent audits when possible.

Secure server technology: Modern VPNs often use RAM-based servers that automatically wipe data on reboot.

Easy-to-use apps: Protection should feel simple, not technical. Clean apps across major devices make daily use effortless.

For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

If your VPN keeps getting blocked, the problem may not be the VPN itself. It may be the shared IP address behind it. Websites are increasingly aggressive about suspicious traffic. When hundreds of users share the same IP, banks, email providers and streaming platforms take notice. That is when the captchas, verification codes and account lockouts start. A dedicated IP changes that experience. You still get encryption. You still protect your real location. But your connection looks stable and predictable, which helps you avoid constant interruptions.

Should protecting your privacy really mean fighting with your bank, email, and streaming apps? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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