Republicans continue being challenged to rethink long-held positions — ostensibly by members of their own base. In the immigration debate, for example, prominent Evangelicals have urged Republicans to embrace immigration reform. Meanwhile, retired military officers — typically considered a reliable part of the Republican voting bloc — are now sounding the alarm on climate change.

From an article in the Wall Street Journal:

The military must do more to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate, including updating war plans and building more ships to operate in the Arctic, a report by a group of retired military officers will say Wednesday.

The report by CNA Corp., a nonprofit research group that frequently does work for the Navy, says the military must be more aggressive as it prepares to deal with everything from increased numbers of natural disasters in the Pacific to expanded shipping in the Arctic. [Wall Street Journal]

The focus isn't on combating global warming, but instead, on military preparation. Still, this news could have political consequences. In the PR business, this is called "man bites dog." (It's not a story if a tree-hugging hippie warns about global warming; it is a story when a decorated military veteran does.)

And according to a survey I was provided (conducted by pollster Alex Lundry), 79 percent of Republicans believe that "strengthening national security with energy independence" is an important reason to take on climate change — and 74 percent of Republicans say "preventing the U.S. from going to war over oil" would be a good enough reason to do the same.

While this report certainly doesn't mean the global warming alarmists are correct, it is yet another example of how conservative orthodoxy is being challenged on all sides — and how Republicans (see Marco Rubio) are increasingly finding themselves forced to answer difficult questions about topics that were once automatic winners. Matt K. Lewis

Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac may have just taken their last steps in a larger world.

Director J.J. Abrams on Friday announced that Star Wars: Episode IX, which is being billed as the conclusion of the franchise's Skywalker saga, has officially wrapped production. "There is no adequate way to thank this truly magical crew and cast," Abrams wrote, posting a photo of the film's main three stars hugging on set. "I'm forever indebted to you all."

Boyega wrote that this is "the end to a chapter of my life that I couldn't be more thankful for," also thanking Abrams for "making my dreams come true."

The photo is only the second glimpse of Episode IX, following a picture taken in the Millennium Falcon that Abrams tweeted when production began in August. The photo posted Friday reveals that Episode IX will feature scenes on a desert planet, perhaps Luke Skywalker's home, Tatooine, or Rey's home, Jakku. The photo also shows Rey and Finn sporting new hairdos, while Poe seems to be rocking some suspenders.

With 10 months to go until Episode IX is released, Lucasfilm still hasn't yet revealed the film's official title, but that announcement could be imminent. The title of The Force Awakens, after all, was announced shortly after production wrapped in 2014. Then again, the title of The Last Jedi wasn't announced until four months after production wrapped.

In addition to the returning cast, Episode IX will feature Billy Dee Williams reprising his role of Lando Calrissian, as well as a posthumous appearance by Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa using footage shot for The Force Awakens. The film hits theaters on Dec. 20. Brendan Morrow

Roger Stone may need to cut down on his Infowars appearances.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Friday issued a gag order in the trial of the former adviser to President Trump, saying Stone must "refrain from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice to this case," Politico reports.

Stone was arrested last month as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and he pleaded not guilty to charges of witness tampering, lying to Congress, and obstruction, The New York Times reports.

But that hadn't slowed down Stone's media appearances, and he jumped on Alex Jones' InfoWars two times within a week after his arrest. This prompted Jackson to warn him earlier this month that he must stop acting like he's on "a book tour."

Axios reports that the gag order prevents Stone from making any comments "within the vicinity of the courthouse." But Politico notes that the gag order only prevents him from talking about his case, and Jackson says he can continue talking about "foreign relations, immigration or Tom Brady" to his heart's desire. Brendan Morrow

Police have arrested two potential suspects in connection with the alleged assault of Empire star Jussie Smollett, ABC News reported on Friday.

Chicago police told ABC that two men were arrested on Wednesday at the airport, with detectives having "probable cause that they may have been involved" in the alleged assault. The suspects have not yet been charged with a crime, however.

Authorities also told ABC that the suspects "have a relationship with" Smollett but did not offer specifics. According to CNN, they are two Nigerian brothers, and CBS 2 Chicago reports they have worked as extras on Empire.

This development comes after two local news stations reported Thursday that investigators now believe the attack on Smollett was staged, per Variety. But chief police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that there is "no evidence to say that this is a hoax" at this time, USA Today reports. One of the Thursday reports had also said investigators believe Smollett staged the attack because he was being written off Empire, something 20th Century Fox denied in a statement, calling the notion "patently ridiculous." Brendan Morrow

The NFL and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick announced Friday that they have reached a settlement over Kaepernick's collusion lawsuit, The Washington Post reports. Kaepernick had sued the league after he was apparently blacklisted from playing football due to his protests during the national anthem; he has been out of the sport for the past two seasons.

While the terms of the settlement were not revealed, and the resolution is subject to a confidentiality agreement, NFL columnist Mike Freeman reported that "team officials are speculating to me [that] the NFL paid Kaepernick in the $60 million to $80 million range."

Separately, a similar lawsuit against the NFL by Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid also reached a settlement. In a joint statement, the NFL and lawyers for Reid and Kaepernick said: "For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL ... The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party."

The NFL Players Association also released a statement: "We are not privy to the details of the settlement, but support the decision by the players and their counsel," it read. "We continuously supported Colin and Eric from the start of their protests, participated with their lawyers throughout their legal proceedings, and were prepared to participate in the upcoming trial in pursuit of both truth and justice for what we believe the NFL and its clubs did to them. We are glad that Eric has earned a job and a new contract, and we continue to hope that Colin gets his opportunity as well." Jeva Lange

In the wake of President Trump's national emergency declaration, some congressional Republicans are already fearing the precedent he has set.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) outlined these concerns in a statement Friday, criticizing Trump's "executive overreach" and saying that this will "create a new precedent that a left-wing president would undoubtedly utilize to implement their radical policy agenda."

In fact, Tillis took Republicans through a few specific hypothetical scenarios, imagining that President Bernie Sanders would declare a national emergency to "implement a radical Green New Deal," President Elizabeth Warren would do so to "shut down the banks," and President Cory Booker would "effectively end Second Amendment rights." The senator says it's "clear what kind of rabbit hole our country can go down" if national emergencies become the norm.

Tillis' argument has been a common one in Republican circles over the past few weeks, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) warning members of his party last month that if the national emergency is the border today, "tomorrow, the national security emergency might be climate change," per Vox.

But Trump's decision is hardly earning universal condemnation from Republicans, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) saying that he stands "firmly behind" Trump's decision and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) saying Trump's actions were simply "the predictable and understandable consequence of Democrats' decision to put partisan obstruction ahead of the national interest."

It is a remarkable thing that President Trump's tweets can still be utterly mind-boggling, but, well, here we are. On Friday, the leader of the free world tweeted out this video with no comment (trust me, you'll want to turn the sound on):

To the tune of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts," the montage features Democrats (and GOP Sen. Mitt Romney) reacting to Trump's State of the Union address, ranging from bored expressions to suppressed laughter and eye rolls. While it's obviously intended to be braggadocious, it is still a bit funny for Trump to have shared a video of a bunch of politicians failing to take him seriously.

One thing is for sure — R.E.M. is not going to be too happy. Trump has previously used the band's hit "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" at his rallies, prompting R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills to quote lead singer Michael Stipe as saying "Go f--k yourself ... you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little man. Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign." Jeva Lange