SIMMERING TO A BOIL: India yesterday carried out an air assault on what they said were terrorist targets inside Pakistan and within the Pakistani-controlled portion of Kashmir.

  Pakistan’s prime minister called it an act of war.

  The strikes came two weeks after militants killed 26 civilians and wounded more in the India-administered portion of Kashmir. 

  “Our actions have been focused, measured, and nonescalatory in nature,” the Indian government said in announcing its attacks. “No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted.”  Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets and a drone threatening that, “The temporary pleasure of India will be replaced by enduring grief.”

  This is one of the great danger spots in the world. Kashmir is divided between, India, Pakistan, and China. All three are nuclear powers but the big concern is conflict between India and Pakistan going nuclear. The two have fought several wars over control of Kashmir with neither side winning it all.

OH CANADA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday told President Trump in front of the press that despite what the President says, Canada is not going to become the 51^st state. “As you know from real estate, there are some places that are not for sale,” Carney said. “It’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale, ever.”

  Trump replied, “Never say never,” and the moment appeared to pass without any great animosity.

  But the calm in the Oval Office was preceded with a belligerent post by Trump on his Truth Social. “We don’t need ANYTHING they have, other than their friendship, which hopefully we will always maintain,” Trump wrote. “They, on the other hand, need EVERYTHING from us!”

  Despite the diplomatic visit, the US is losing Canada’s friendship. Canadians are cancelling planned visits to the US and they are furious about Trump’s needling reference to their country as the 51^ststate.

CONCLAVE: The 133 Catholic cardinals convene today behind closed doors to pick a new pope. The question is whether the church will continue in the relatively progressive mode of the late Francis or return to conservatism. The first vote is today.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

— The Supreme Court issued an unsigned ruling allowing the Trump administration to start enforcing its ban on transgender troops in the military. The order remains in place while challenges to the ban wend their way through lower courts.

  The three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson all dissented but gave no reasons.

— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he’s cutting back on four-star generals and flag rank officers in all the services by 10 percent, and 20 percent in the National Guard.

  Hegseth referred to his order as “Less Generals, more GIs,” and said it would “shift resources from bloated headquarter elements to our warfighters.” The reduction would involve about 180 senior officers. How that would meaningfully increase “warfighters,” he didn’t say.

  Hegseth said in his announcement that,  “We must cultivate exceptional senior leaders who drive innovation and operational excellence, unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness,”

— The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its Energy Star efficiency certification for dishwashers, refrigerators, dryers, and other home appliances, The NY Times reports according to documents it reviewed.

  The program has encouraged buyers to shop for energy efficient appliances thereby pressing manufacturers to make them.

  The Times reports that Paul Gunning, the director of the EPA Office of Atmospheric Protection, told employees during a meeting that, “The Energy Star program and all the other climate work, outside of what’s required by statute, is being de-prioritized and eliminated.” 

IT’S REAL: Air travelers starting today will be required to present “Real ID” to TSA agents when they pass through security. Real ID is a federally-approved ID, most commonly a driver’s license with a star or flag on it, a passport, or Defense Department ID.

  The Department of Homeland Security says passengers who do not have any of those identification cards will still be allowed to fly after going through extra security, but you should arrive three hours before your flight. 

  And it could be worse if you are flying out of Newark. Over the past several days more than 1,000 flights have been delayed and cancelled because of technical problems in antiquated flight control systems and a shortage of traffic controllers. The trouble started several days ago when the screens and comms of some controllers went dark for 90 seconds.

THE WAR ROOM: Israeli air attacks have virtually destroyed the airport in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa.

  This came two days after Iran-backed Houthis fired a missile that struck near Israel’s main airport, forcing a brief closure. Reuters reports that the Israelis targeted three civilian planes, the airport departure hall, the runway, and a military air base. The Houthis said at least three people had been killed and vowed to retaliate.

  Separately, President Donald Trump announced that the US had reached a ceasefire with the Houthis in which the US would stop bombing and the militants would stop attacking shipping in critical sea lanes in the Middle East. That’s big if the deal holds.

THE SPIN RACK: A second $70 million F-18 fighter jet has rolled off the deck of the aircraft carrier Harry Truman into the Red Sea. — A 47-year-old American tourist was impaled and stuck when he climbed over a spiked fence to get a closer look at Rome’s Coliseum. The man passed out as he bled profusely and it took emergency responders 20 minutes to get him off the fence. He lived. — Immigration agents raided the Washington restaurant owned by the husband former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell. No one was taken into custody.

BELOW THE FOLD:  Billionaire Barry Diller, who has been married to fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg since 2001, has openly admitted that he’s gay. Ahead of the release of his memoir, “Who Knew,”Diller announced what pretty much everyone knew already.

-30-