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August 23: News Max: Former Official; Iran's claim of victory amounts to "bluster and empty threats
Former Trump administration national security official Fred Fleitz said Sunday that Iran's claim of victory in its conflict with the United States amounts to "bluster and empty threats" as Tehran faces mounting economic pressure. "That's all the Iranian regime has left is bluster and empty threats," Fleitz, who served as chief of staff of the National Security Council during President Donald Trump's first administration contended. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday the conflict should end while Tehran remains in a position of strength, declaring, "The entire world approved our victory and the U.S. is hated." Fleitz said Iranian threats against countries participating in the Trump administration's campaign to economically isolate Tehran are more significant than Pezeshkian's declaration. Iran's economy "collapsed significantly more after the war," Fleitz said, adding that Tehran is now losing "$300 million to $500 million a day because of the U.S. naval blockade. If this blockade continues, in 30 to 60 days, we may see a different Iran," Fleitz said. "The leadership sees this, and it's terrified." Projections are that every day the U.S. naval blockade continues, Iran is losing $435 million. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday to detail the administration's additional plans for an "economic D-Day" against Iran. Bessent has said Washington will pursue what he described as the greatest coordinated economic isolation campaign in history and will press U.S. allies to decide whether they are "with us or against us." Fleitz added that China also must be pressured to cooperate, particularly to prevent cargo planes from carrying "weapons and aid and other things to Iran that would help it evade these sanctions."

August 23: The Gateway Pundit:
U.S. Postal Service pressing ahead with tougher safeguards for absentee ballots
The U.S. Postal Service is pressing ahead with tougher safeguards for mail-in ballots ahead of November's midterms, adopting new eligibility requirements modeled closely on President Donald Trump's election integrity agenda. Under the new policy, states seeking USPS assistance with mail-in and absentee ballots will have to notify the agency at least 60 days before the November elections if they intend to provide lists of eligible voters based on citizenship data. This is to make sure ballots are being mailed to eligible American voters. Postmaster General David Steiner has said the changes will ensure "the right ballots are going to the right people." Although an Obama-appointed judge blocked Trump's order The White House has refused to abandon the policy. "We will continue lawfully enacting the agenda President Trump was elected to enact – which includes the safety and security of American elections," White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said. The battle comes as mail-in voting remains a massive part of American elections, allowing Democrats to implement what many see as their aggressive voter fraud schemes across multiple election cycles.

August 22: Fox News:
Comey had to know what "86" meant; former crime boss who knew Comey contends
The FBI interviewed Salvatore Gravano, the former underboss of the Gambino crime family known as "Sammy the Bull," who had familiarity with Comey due to Comey's role as the lead prosecutor in United States v. John Gambino et al. in the 1990s. During the May 2026 recorded interview, Gravano said Comey "had to know" what 86 meant. Gravano stated his belief that Comey had to know what the term '86' meant 'as it related to killing someone,'" the court documents show. Gravano added he believed Comey's post was a call for violence, but not an admission that Comey himself would be carrying out said violence. Comey is facing a case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Eastern Division, accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump through his May 2025 "86 47" seashell Instagram post. IMAGE: CableCarInSanFrancisco

August 21: One America News Network: Is the light dawning? Local Democrat party officials
in San Francisco breaking with state party, opposing targeted wealth tax
In a move signaling a deepening ideological rift within Northern California's political establishment, leaders of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) are preparing to formally oppose Proposition 40, breaking ranks with the California Democrat Party. The statewide measure, known as the Billionaire Tax Act, was narrowly endorsed by the state party's executive board following an intense debate, setting the stage for an unprecedented local rebellion in one of the nation's most left-wing strongholds. The proposition would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires. Despite the measure's strong backing from healthcare unions, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), local party leaders in San Francisco have expressed deep skepticism over its economic ramifications. Opponents warn that an aggressive targeted tax will accelerate an exodus of high-net-worth individuals and corporate headquarters out of San Francisco and the whole state, ultimately gutting broader income tax revenues. [Well, Hello? Of course it will and some, like Elon Musk have already left the state, taking his headquarters with him.]

August 22: The Gateway Pundit: First Amendment rights granted
to undercover investigative reporters; D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
In a major First Amendment and investigative-reporting decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has overturned a jury verdict and damages award against James O'Keefe and undercover journalist Allison Maass stemming from a Project Veritas investigation into Democracy Partners. The panel ruled 2-1 that the First Amendment protects publishing undercover footage and that the damages improperly punished protected journalistic activity. O'Keefe announced the decision in a video Friday evening, saying his faith in the future of journalism has been restored after the appellate court, including a Democrat-appointed judge, set a powerful precedent for undercover work nationwide. The case stems from Project Veritas's undercover operation in which Maass obtained an unpaid internship at Democracy Partners, the progressive consulting firm led by Robert Creamer. The videos she took exposed internal discussions and operations, leading Creamer and the firm to sue for fraudulent misrepresentation, wiretapping, and related claims. A jury later awarded damages, including $120,000 for lost contracts, based in part on the economic harm that followed publication of the reporting. On appeal, Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson (appointed by George H. W. Bush), writing for the majority and joined by Judge Harry Edwards (appointed by Jimmy Carter), held that the damages award violated the First Amendment because the primary cause of the claimed losses was the protected content of the news story itself rather than any unprotected conduct. The court held that a jury cannot impose liability that punishes publishing newsworthy information obtained through undercover methods.

August 22: The Washington Times: Trade talks with Canada collapse,
Canada threatens to retaliate dollar for dollar against U.S. tariffs
Canada is retaliating against Donald Trump's 50% tariffs on Canadian products, threatening a dollar-for-dollar counterattack beginning Sept. 8. The U.S. imposed tariffs on about $20 billion worth goods from its northern neighbor following the collapse of trade negotiations. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he's suspending talks and implementing retaliatory tariffs. "Late last evening I instructed our negotiators to return to Ottawa. We cannot accept what the U.S. has offered, and we will not give what they have asked," he said Saturday. "Canada will match the U.S.' new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses." Meanwhile, President Trump has said he wants to give U.S. automakers, steel and aluminum interest a square deal, believing the U.S. has been taken advantage of in the past.

August 21: One America News Network: Trump signs deal to import 300,000 metric tons of beef; should impact beef prices
President Trump announced Friday he has finalized a deal to lower the price of beef as the U.S. faces a cattle shortage. "Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families," Trump declared. Trump pointed to the previous administration, explaining that during former President Biden's term, "beef prices soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history." "As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff," he stated. "We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices." "This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again," he concluded.

August 21: Fox News: SCOTUS; White House ballroom project may continue for the time being
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily allowed above-ground construction of President Donald Trump's White House ballroom to continue , issuing a stay of a lower court injunction that would block the work. Roberts issued an administrative stay of a preliminary injunction entered April 16 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, putting the injunction on hold "pending further order" from Roberts or the Supreme Court. The move puts the case in a temporary holding pattern while the Supreme Court considers whether construction can continue and the underlying legal battle plays out. But, because of Roberts' action the above-ground construction can continue for now.

August 21: The Epoch Times: 900 Birth Tourism visas revoked in crackdown
The U.S. Department of State on Aug. 20 said that nearly 900 visas have been revoked since a birth tourism task force was created in early August. Birth tourism refers to a foreign national traveling to another country to give birth there in a bid to allow the child to gain citizenship of that country. The Trump administration attempted to end birthright citizenship through an executive order last year, which was challenged in court and later blocked by multiple judges. Describing birth tourism as "an insidious practice," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said officials are "seeing this be a global phenomenon, and we're seeing these networks that are profiting, trying to essentially sell U.S. citizenship." He said this includes disguising themselves as healthcare services when in reality it is the insidious practice with birth tourism, and then on top of defrauding consular offices to get that visa, they then coach these people to defraud the American people when they're here, and leave taxpayers footing the bill for their medical expenses.

August 20: The Daily Caller: Taiwan increases defense spending as China becomes more aggressive
Taiwan is proposing a record defense budget for 2027 as the island pours more money into its military amid mounting pressure from China and calls from Washington for Taipei to shoulder more of its own defense burden. Taiwan's government proposed spending roughly $35 billion, on defense next year, pushing military spending above 3% of gross domestic product (GDP). The spending plan would mark the first time Taiwan's annual defense budget has exceeded 1 trillion Taiwan dollars (approximately 31.4 billion USD) and comes as Beijing continues sending military aircraft and vessels near the island while periodically conducting large-scale exercises in the region. Taiwan has been governed as its own country, separate from the Chinese mainland since 1949. Taipei plans to direct portions of the increased spending toward drones, missiles and other military modernization efforts, including its indigenous submarine program.

August 20: Breitbart News: Well known Jewish Dems walking away
from radical leftwing socialist Democrat senate candidate in Michigan
Well-known Jewish Democrats appear to be waking up to the fact that the Democrat Party has become a home and shelter to raging Jew-haters. "Jewish leaders in Michigan are circulating an open letter urging Jewish Democrats and independents in the battleground state to sign their names in support of former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) as he faces Abdul El-Sayed," the Jewish Insider(JI) reported. JI says the letter is by Eric Bronstein, a Detroit businessman, among others identifying as Democrats and independents." "The open letter, which the authors intend to share online once it has gained a significant initial group of signers," stresses that many of those who signed on "have been fiercely supportive of Democrat candidates and principles." In part, the letter says, "All of us have felt threatened and alienated by the politics and allies embraced by El-Sayed, which has included demonization of Jews, equivocation on terrorism, exclusion of Jewish Americans from public life, and expression of implacable hatred of the world's only Jewish nation. We believe these core messages of his candidacy are bad for the Democratic Party, harmful to a safe and thriving Jewish community in Michigan, and detrimental to the future of the country. …This is a moment when each of us must speak out. We're voting for Mike Rogers. We ask other Michigan Jewish voters to join us." Currently it is estimated that nationwide, around 65-% of Jews vote Democrat. In Michigan, more than 60% of Jews identify as Democrat.

August 19: The Epoch Times:
New IRS regulations block refundable tax credits to illegal aliens
The Trump administration proposed new regulations Aug. 19 to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving refundable individual income tax credits funded by U.S. taxpayers. The regulations would affect the child, adoption, earned income, and American opportunity tax credits. The four individual tax credits are refundable, allowing taxpayers with a credit larger than the federal tax liabilities they owe to receive taxpayer-funded refunds from the federal government. In an Aug. 19 statement announcing the proposed regulations, the Treasury Department and IRS said the regulations would clarify eligibility for those receiving the refundable portion of the four tax credits. The Trump administration said the regulations would prevent illegal immigrants and other nonqualified individuals from receiving tax benefits reserved for American taxpayers. "Under President Trump, the days of illegal aliens collecting taxpayer-funded benefits are over. The federal law is clear, and Treasury is enforcing it," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

August 19: Fox News: Iran loses key economic lifeline
in Middle East that Trump's sanctions couldn't reach as deadlock persists
The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward maritime traffic. The action severs one of the Islamic Republic's most important commercial and financial links and threatens to close off an economic route President Donald Trump's sanctions have struggled to reach. It also further deepens Iran's isolation amid its standoff with the U.S. The UAE supplied 31% of Iran's imports, valued at roughly $21 billion, in 2024, and was the destination for 13% of its exports, according to World Trade Organization trade data.

August 19: Breitbart News: Florida Democratic Socialist Senate candidates calls for eliminating ICE, swift citizenship for all illegal aliens, and universal healthcare
Florida's Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) Senate candidate Angie Nixon is running on a platform of abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), finding a "swift" path to citizenship for illegal aliens, halting "mass incarceration," and implementing universal healthcare. Nixon, a current member of the Florida state House of Representatives, won her primary in a surprise upset against famed Trump hater Alex Vindman. She is running on a socialist campaign that includes several radical talking points which many Democrat primary voters have embraced across the country. She is calling for Medicare for All, free childcare, free paid family and sick leave, a national rent freeze and moratorium on evictions, and a universal jobs program. She claims she will pay for these measures by taxing billionaires, getting "big money" out of politics, and halting spending on overseas wars and violence. Nixon is also calling for "cradle-to-career" public education which will include "tuition-free public college and trade school" and the cancellation of school debt while also increasing teacher wages. The problem with her positions? There's not enough money, even from billionaires, to pay for it all, even if it is a good idea in the first place – which it isn't.

August 19: One America News Network: ABC suing the FCC over broadcast license questions
Disney filed a suit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on behalf of its ABC stations for allegedly violating its First Amendment rights. In the latest chapter of the ongoing battle between the FCC and Disney-owned ABC, the company asked the court on Tuesday to provide relief regarding the early license renewal applications, In April, the FCC ordered the Walt Disney Co. to submit early license renewal applications for its ABC television stations, citing an ongoing investigation. This came after President Trump urged the company to fire host Jimmy Kimmel over highly inappropriate remarks about assassination attempts made by Kimmel regarding First Lady Melania Trump and the prior assassination attempts on the president's life. Disney called the FCC's order unprecedented, pointing to the accelerated timeline, the short filing window and the simultaneous demand for all eight local stations to reapply years ahead of schedule.

August 19: Gateway Pundit:
Grand Jury subpoena over two "Sullivans" on Alaska ballot; was it for deception?
The "other Dan Sullivan" controversy just exploded into a full-blown federal grand jury investigation. The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas as investigators examine whether Daniel J. Sullivan Jr, the Democrat-friendly Alaska candidate running against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, entered the race to confuse voters and divert support from the incumbent. The Department of Justice is examining whether the retired Petersburg teacher entered the race specifically to confuse voters, siphon support from the incumbent Republican, and boost Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska's ranked-choice system. Potential charges under review include wire fraud and conspiracy to deprive Alaskans of a free and fair election process, a civil rights violation. The subpoenas compel information from witnesses linked to Dan J. Sullivan's operation. The former teacher, who registered as a Republican only days before filing, has denied any intent to mislead voters. Critics call those denials laughable.

August 18: One America News Network: Plans to move the FBI Headquarters
to the existing Ronald Reagan Building put on hold by a federal judge
A Barack Obama appointed federal judge ruled against a new relocation plan pushed by the administration of Donald Trump for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters. United States District Judge Theodore Chuang sided with the state of Maryland and Prince George's County, when he found the administration illegally scrapped the previous relocation plans in favor of a building closer to the current headquarters. In his ruling Chuang acknowledged the need to develop and choose the location for a new headquarters, recognizing the unsuitability of the J. Edgar Hoover Building in the nation's capital. "… the Hoover Building has physically deteriorated and can no longer meet the FBI's staffing and security needs," he said. In 2023, Greenbelt, Maryland, in Prince George's County had been selected for the new headquarters. However, these plans shifted in July 2025 when a new plan was announced to repurpose the existing Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., just a short distance from the Hoover Building. At the end of last year, FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the current building was being shut down and work was being done on the Reagan Building. "When we arrived, taxpayers were about to be on the hook for nearly $5 billion for a new headquarters that wouldn't open until 2035. We scrapped that plan," Patel had said. "Instead, we selected the already-existing Reagan Building, saving billions and allowing the transition to begin immediately with required safety and infrastructure upgrades already underway," he continued.

August 18: News Max: Attempt to confuse Alaskan voters;
Trump calls for voters to vote for the "Real" Sullivan for Senate
There are two Dan Sullivans running for U.S. Senate on the Alaska primary ballot. The Dan Sullivan who is the incumbent is the "real" Sullivan, President Trump contends. Trump has accused Democrats of trying to confuse voters by putting forward another candidate with the same name, Dan J. Sullivan, a retired fifth-grade teacher who describes himself as a pragmatic Republican. The current Senator Sullivan has an extensive background of accomplishments for Alaska while the other Sullivan has no experience. The Alaska Democrat Party and the campaign of former Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, considered Dan S. Sullivan's leading challenger, have denied involvement with Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy. Questions surrounding Dan J. Sullivan's campaign have nevertheless drawn scrutiny from Republicans with some of the non-incumbent's associates having Democrat ties. Under Alaska's election system, the top four finishers in the nonpartisan primary advance to November's ranked-choice general election.

August 18: The Gateway Pundit:
Cornyn Legislative Director throws in with the Talarico (D-TX) campaign
Most people think about the swamp as Washington parties, congressional office banter, and unelected bureaucrats who think they have the right to make policy decisions. But senior staffer of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has defected to the Democrat candidate staff. Cornyn, who had been in the Senate and part of the Republican leadership for years, lost his reelection bid in the Texas Primary. He has yet to take efforts to support his primary opponent, Ken Paxon. Cornyn's staffer, Jacob Smith, left his job to work with Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico in the role of deputy policy director. He worked for Cornyn for five years as a deputy legislative director and previously worked on the House Science Committee for Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK). He was also a legislative aide for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).

August 18: Breitbart News: Polling Firm that showed Karen Bass, Francesca Hong in Lead Admits its polls were a fake and 'Short-Term Social Experiment'
A polling firm that has projected Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Wisconsin Democrat socialist gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong leading their opponents, has admitted these were fake polls and part of a "short-term social experiment." Median Strategies, explained it "has concluded its polling project and will not publish additional polls." They said "All previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data." Median Strategies explained that its "results were based on a survey of 560 Los Angeles voters between July 30 and Aug. 5. It said it had a 4.1 percent margin of error."

August 17: The Washington Times: U.S. Navy destroyer experienced an electronic blackout and remained Dead in the Water before being towed to port
The USS Benfold (DDG-65), an Arleigh Burke destroyer, experienced an electrical system failure while transiting the South China Sea and remained dead in the water for four days before the Navy was able to tow here to Subic Bay in the Philippines. The ship was in company with other vessels which were part of the George Washington carrier strike group that was in the process of making a visit to Vietnam and conducting routine operations in international waters. Meanwhile, Communist China is claiming 90% of the South China Sea as its sovereign maritime territory, a claim rejected by the United States and its allies in the region, including the Philippines. U.S. officials said the Benfold reported an engineering casualty involving its generators, which caused it to loss power. "There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism and unwavering steadiness in their response," they reported.

August 17: The Epoch Times:
Pentagon signs contract to replenish Tomahawk missile stockpile
The Department of War announced a major contract to increase the production of Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Pentagon's $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon, a division of RTX Corp., will increase its production of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to more than 1,000 per year. Monday's announcement came after the Pentagon signed framework agreements on Aug. 14 to manufacture critical hardware for ballistic missile interceptors. Michael P. Duffey, Undersecretary of war for Acquisition and Sustainment said, "This Tomahawk award increases our ability to equip the Joint Force, ensuring our Warfighters never face a fair fight." Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao described the $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon as a landmark investment that would increase the rate of Tomahawk missile deliveries at an "unprecedented speed."

August 16: The Gateway Pundit:
NBC asks newly confirmed AG "Gotcha" question, he doesn't fall for it
Newly confirmed US Attorney General Todd Blanche appearing on NBC's "Meet The Press" Sunday was asked by Kristen Welker if he would pledge to operate independent of the White House. Blanche responded, "No, I'm not going to pledge that! And no Attorney General should ever pledge that! If I were to pledge, I would be independent of the White House, what that means is that if President Trump says I want the Department of Justice to go after every violent criminal in this country, which is what he has said, what you're saying to me is I just say 'No sir, I'm not going to do it!" he contended. This is one of the legacy media outlets that never said a work about A G Merrick Garland sending machine gun toting federal agents to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on Biden's orders. "So I will act with integrity. Our prosecutors will act with integrity. We will prosecute without fear or any sort of favor," Blanche added. "And that's exactly what we've been doing and that's what every Department of Justice should do," he concluded.

August 16: Associated Press (published by News Max):
US pulls carrier out of WESTPAC to relieve CVA Lincoln in Middle East
The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. The Lincoln has had its time at sea extended from its original May return date to support operations against Iran. This leaves the Western Pacific without a U.S. aircraft carrier. However, it is anticipated that another carrier will be deployed to WESTPAC in the next couple of months in order to fill the hole left by the movement of the George Washington to the Middle East.

August 16: The Washington Examiner: Georgia's first Jewish senator [Ossoff], faces angry Jewish voters
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is putting Georgia's longtime Democrat Jewish voters in a spot this November that some once thought would be virtually unthinkable: whether to support the Peach State's first Jewish senator for a second term in one of the country's most competitive races. Ossoff's mixed record on supporting Israel, which includes votes for and against U.S. military aid, has stirred fierce criticism from Jewish donors and political leaders in Georgia. They say his legislative decisions in Washington are undermining his pro-Israel rhetoric amid heightened divisions and antisemitism in the Democrat Party. "It's definitely not standing up and speaking the truth about Israel when you're trying to take weapons from them during a war," said Cheryl Dorchinsky, co-founder and executive director of the nonpartisan and nonprofit Atlanta Israel Coalition. "It always hurts more when someone is Jewish and they behave this way."

August 15: The Gateway Pundit:
Columbia's new President asks the U.S. and military to help him fight the cartels
Colombia's new president, Abelardo 'El Tigre' de la Espriella, has asked Donald Trump for U.S. military assistance to combat drug traffickers in his country. With this move, Trump's 'Shield of the Americas' kicks into high gear, and the Cartels finally have a powerful coalition lined up against them. "Abelardo de la Espriella, also known as 'El Tigre', took office on Aug 7 after campaigning on taking an aggressive, zero-tolerance approach to the country's drug economy. He has threatened a bombing campaign against traffickers and promised to build a swath of El Salvador-style mega-prisons to house criminals involved in the narcotics trade. 'Colombia has already requested that the department of war join Colombia in its fight against narco-terrorism, authorizing joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks', Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at a summit of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama on Wednesday."

August 15: The Washington Times:
Dems National Committee may have a split personality
The Democrat National Committee Saturday voted to approve dueling resolutions affecting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One resolution would call to abolish ICE, and one would call to reform it. Both were passed out of committee Thursday, and the resolutions, which were part of a larger package of resolutions, were sent to the full membership and passed unanimously by voice vote. For Democrats, the battle over whether "abolish" ICE or "reform" ICE language highlights the intraparty friction between establishment Democrats and far-left insurgents who have energized many party activists in the base that have become a powerful force in the midterm campaigns.

August 15: Fox News: NY Attorney General James has Republican challenger
New York Attorney General Letitia James has drawn a Trump-backed challenger, and President Donald Trump is throwing his "complete and total endorsement" behind Republican Saritha Komatireddy in a bid to oust James who is facing mortgage fraud charges. Trump's endorsement of Komatireddy, who he nominated to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 2020, comes as he continues pressing for James to be prosecuted over mortgage fraud allegations.

August 14: Fox News: Iran's neighbors:
Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt condemn Iranian attack on UAE-affiliated tankers
Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Bahrain issued statements Friday condemning an Iranian attack on two tankers affiliated with the United Arab Emirates' state-owned energy company as they transited the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar's Foreign Ministry said it "strongly condemns the Iranian attack targeting two UAE oil tankers belonging to [the] Abu Dhabi National Oil Company that were crossing the Strait of Hormuz, considering it a severe violation of international law, the freedom of maritime navigation, and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolution 2817." The resolution, signed adopted in March, condemns Iran's "egregious attacks" against its regional neighbors in the Middle East, according to the U.N. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs renews the State of Qatar's firm rejection of using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage, calling in that regard on reopening the strait without conditions," Qatar's Foreign Ministry added. Kuwait said it offered "full solidarity with the sisterly United Arab Emirates, and its standing by its side in all measures it takes to protect its security, sovereignty, and interests." Egypt said the attack "constitutes a threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and the freedom of vessel movement in one of the world's most vital international waterways," the Strait of Hormuz.

August 14: News Max:
Fake News: Reports of mental health issues on the CVN-72 (The Abraham Lincoln) are untrue and have no basis in fact
U.S. Central Command took to social media to slam "rampant misreporting" about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Specifically, denied claims that seven sailors died in a brawl and that the ship has experienced a spike in suicidal ideation. Setting the facts straight CENTCOM said that no service members on the Lincoln have died during its deployment. It did confirm one sailor went overboard Aug. 3 but said the sailor was "quickly and safely recovered." It also pointed to an 84.4% crew reenlistment rate, which it said is among the highest for Navy aircraft carriers. The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has spent more than 260 days at sea while conducting 10,000 aircraft flights and expending 1.5 million pounds of ordnance during its current deployment. Apparently, the report about seven deaths on board the carrier appeared first in the Iranian media and seems to have no credible supporting evidence.

August 14: The Gateway Pundit: Inflation in July below experts expectations and way below the Biden years
July inflation numbers dropped below expert's predictions. U.S. consumer prices rose 3.4% p in July year-over-year, down from June's 3.5% annual rate, as gasoline and grocery costs moderated, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2% for the month and 2.5% over the year. Bloomberg News said it was the slowest since March 2021 and that energy, gas and grocery prices all fell during the month. The report arrives as the Federal Reserve considers whether to raise interest rates. The central bank has held rates steady all year even as inflation has run above its 2% target, according to the New York Times. The Fed will receive one more inflation reading before its next meeting in mid-September.

August 14: Fox News: Muslem foot washing stations in Texas airports scrapped after opposition
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Friday directed a review of state grants to entities operating two major Texas airports over religious accommodations after Dallas Fort Worth International Airport said it would no longer move forward with a proposal to install Islamic washing stations. He said the state will review grants to entities operating DFW and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston for possible revocation and denial of future funding. He also referred both airports to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. "Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others," Abbott said Friday. "DFW plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal. I've directed a review of all state grants to both airports for possible revocation, and referred DFW & IAH to USDOT for investigation.

August 14: The Epoch Times: Pentagon expands missile interceptor production
The Department of War has signed new framework agreements to expand production of critical hardware for ballistic missile interceptors, the latest step in a broader push to ramp up the nation's munitions manufacturing capacity. The agreements with Boeing and Raytheon call for increased production of components for the Standard Missile-3 Block IB -- which is designed to intercept short to intermediate range ballistic missiles -- and Block IIA interceptors which is more advanced, features larger rocket motors, and an enhanced kinetic warhead, allowing it to engage threats faster and defend a wider area. Both interceptors can be launched from Navy warships equipped with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and are a key part of the U.S. sea-based ballistic missile defense network. "These agreements ensure our warfighters get the munitions they need to win," Michael P. Duffey, Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, said. "We are stabilizing our supply chains, expanding munitions production and putting our entire defense industrial base on a wartime footing," he said.

August 13: The Washington Times: DOT imposing an English requirement on railroad engineers and conductors
Fresh off its effort to remove people who struggle with English from jobs in commercial driving, the Trump administration is now moving to boot them off the rails, too. The Transportation Department last month proposed a new rule that would require conductors and engineers on locomotives to demonstrate they know enough English to be safe. The rule would also bar Mexican crews from running routes beyond a 10-mile border zone. In both situations, the department said trains already seem to observe those practices. Writing them into regulation locks things into place and blocks any "potential loophole" from emerging. "Whether you're operating an 80,000-pound big rig or a massive freight train, you need to be proficient in our national language — English. If you aren't, you create an unacceptable safety risk," said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

August 13: The Gateway Pundit: Federal court decision could cost Planned Parenthood $2 billion
A federal appeals court just delivered a major setback to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, dismissing the abortion giant's attempt to escape liability in a long-running Medicaid fraud case that could ultimately force it to repay nearly $2 billion in taxpayer funds. Wednesday, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed Planned Parenthood's appeal. The ruling returns the high-stakes False Claims Act lawsuit to the federal district court in the Northern District of Texas where the judge previously rejected Planned Parenthood's bid for immunity. The case stems from the explosive 2015 undercover videos produced by the Center for Medical Progress. Those videos captured Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting and potential sale of aborted baby body parts. In the undercover video, Dr. Ann Schutt-Ainé, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, and Tram Nguyen, RN and Vice President of Abortion Access at Planned Parenthood Houston, are seen discussing the gruesome details of their procedures.

August 13: News Max: Get your head around this;
Iranian radicals don't care what the EU or anybody else thinks; execute protestors in order to quell dissent
The United Kingdom, France, and Canada were among 31 nations joining the European Union's top diplomat Wednesday in condemning "in the strongest terms" Iran's execution of anti-government protesters and its use of the death penalty to "silence dissent." The statement came a day after a U.S.-based human rights group said the Islamic regime had carried out at least 916 executions this year, including 15 this month. "We condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic of Iran," they said. "The use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be justified. "The people of Iran must be free to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear. But guess what, the Iranian radicals who control the country by force, don't care and aren't listening.

August 12: The Galveston County Daily News:
Who cares about what the voters want? Political Bullying
President Joe Biden (D) received over 14 million primary votes in his 2024 reelection bid before dropping out of the race. In Maine Graham Platner (D) received 71.9% of the votes (154,058) in the Senate Democrat primary before being forced out of the race. Some years ago, a Texas Republican Congressional incumbent felt so threatened by a challenger that he turned to bullying In an effort to force his challenger from the race. Here are some lessons: Bullies don't like it when they are stood up to. If you make a mistake, take ownership of it, and if you are in the right, stick to your guns; standing up for truth. Here are some actions to consider: Don't vote for bullies. Don't vote for those they put in positions of power. And, Pray for our nation.

August 12: Associated Press(published by News Max):
U.S. to depart military presence in Iraq by September 30th
The U.S. military is on track to pull all of its forces out of Iraq by the end of September, official said Wednesday. Unlike the Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, this is expected to be an orderly transition; ending the U.S. presence that started with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein ordered by then president Bush. U.S. troops were pulled out of most Iraqi bases but currently maintains a presence in the northern controlled Kurdish region. Some of these areas have come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks in response to the attacks on Israel. "The United States, Iraq, and coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi security forces will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq," officials said.

August 12: One America News Network:
Trump: U.S. maintains control of Strait of Hormuz, 'IRGC is decimated and fleeing'
President Trump outlined the condition of the Iranian military, asserting that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "is decimated and fleeing." The president added that the U.S. maintains full control over the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial transit point that handled roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas prior to the conflict. "The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I think we will keep it! Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, 'A wall of steel,' and there is nothing Iran can do about it," Trump posted. "They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, their remaining soldiers are unpaid, the IRGC is decimated and fleeing, and their 'Leadership' is uncertain, at best!" he continued. Pointing to Iran's economic distress, Trump dismissed the regime's military threat, declaring that its remaining tool is "Fake News" while skyrocketing inflation and crippling financial crises paralyze the country from within.

August 12: Breitbart News:
Karoline Leavitt will be leaving the White House
to spend more time with her children and family
President Trump Wednesday announced the departure of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying, "Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect! Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections. Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024."

August 11: One America News Network: More than 175K visas held by foreign nationals since Jan. 2025
The U.S. State Department announced Monday that it has revoked more than 175,000 visas held by foreign nationals since President Trump returned to office in January 2025. State Department officials say the vast majority of visa cancellations stemmed from local law enforcement encounters and subsequent filed criminal charges. Leading causes included "driving under the influence (DUI), assault, theft, drug offenses, reckless driving and severe allegations involving sexual battery, child abuse and human trafficking." The agency also highlighted a slew of financial fraud cases — including a multi-million-dollar Medicaid scheme — and targeting of organized birth tourism networks, such as an embassy in North Africa revoking over 100 visas issued to parents accused of traveling solely to secure U.S. birthright citizenship for their children. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly personally ordered cancellations for diplomatic and security reasons, finding individuals linked to foreign governments such as Cuba and Iran.

August 11: The Post Newspaper:
Elections cannot be held without poll workers
Tuesday, August 11th is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day and last Thursday, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in cooperation with Vet-the-Vote held an event at the Houston Space Center for Veterans and interested members of the public. Speaking at this event were Galveston County Clerk Dwight Sullivan and Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth. In their remarks they noted the hard and tedious work election workers do and how important they are to the process. They are all volunteers. Hundreds of them are needed in order to hold an election and without them, no elections would be held. There is always a shortage of poll workers and Sullivan and Hedspeth encouraged people to step up and volunteer, especially veterans who have already exhibited an ability and willingness to serve their country.

August 11: Fox News: Justice Alito confirms he will remain on the court for another session
Supreme Court Justice Alito confirmed last week that he plans to remain on the nation's highest court for its coming term, batting down months of speculation that he could retire while Trump is in the White House and Republicans still control the Senate. "Obviously, I'm here for another term," Alito said in an interview published by The Wall Street Journal. The Supreme Court's next term begins in October and typically concludes with its final opinions in late June or early July. The justices are currently on their summer recess. Alito and fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, 78, have faced some calls from conservatives to step down, which would give Trump one potential last chance to appoint a fourth Supreme Court justice to the lifetime post.

August 11: The Washington Times:
Federal appeals court breathes new life into speedy DHS deportation powers
A federal appeals court Tuesday breathed new life into DHS's plans to use a speedy deportation power on migrants who were paroled into the U.S., potentially giving the Trump Administration a new tool to boot hundreds of thousands who were admitted by President Biden. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia erased a lower court ruling that had blocked DHS from using the speedy deportation, officially known as expedited removal, on parolees. In a 3-0 ruling, the appeals court said the groups challenging DHS lacked legal standing to sue. The judges said that's because the groups challenging the Trump Administration policy didn't question the underlying regulation, which appears to let DHS do exactly what it says it's doing. If the ruling takes effect, it could help usher out a large cross section of unauthorized migrants from the Biden era. Parole is an exception to the usual immigration system, letting someone remain despite having entered without a legal visa.

August 11: The Gateway Pundit: Trump could declare a national emergency over midterm elections;
requiring photo IDs and limiting the use of absentee ballots
After Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) failed to move the SAVE Act the President has hinted he may declare a national emergency to secure the 2026 midterm election. In an interview with Wayne A. Root, Trump was asked, "You have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections. The Supreme Court ruled in 1983…that if you declare…they can't challenge it, it can only be overturned by a 2/3rds vote of both Houses of Congress. If you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship, and a limit to mail-in ballots?" Trump responded "Stranger things have happened."

August 10: Fox News:
Michigan Dem Senate nominee admits all will pay more in taxes for universal healthcare
Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed appeared to admit on Sunday that everyone, regardless of income, would have to pay "a little bit more in taxes" for universal healthcare. Asked about his support for Medicare for All and who would end up paying for it El-Sayed said Americans would need to pay more taxes in order to make it possible. He said he was in favor of raising taxes on billionaires but seemed to concede that even Americans earning under $1 million or less would also see their taxes increase. "Imagine," he said, "instead of paying that to your health insurance company… you paid a little bit more in taxes for healthcare that you wouldn't lose if you lost your job or turned 26 or got married or got divorced. I think all of us would be a lot more interested in that kind of a system if we knew that our healthcare would be free at the point of care and would be free without having to worry about losing it, in general." Of course, Medicare only pays 80% of the cost of medical care. So, saying it would cover medical costs is not completely accurate.

August 10: The Daily Caller:
China playing the long game, built its petroleum reserves, allowing it to weather the shutdown of the Hormuz Strait
"China has been able to weather the oil-market disruption caused by the war with Iran because it holds an estimated 1.5 billion barrels in reserve," Steve H. Hanke, professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University has said. China spent 2025 adding an average of 1.1 million barrels a day to its strategic oil inventories, pushing the stockpile to roughly 1.4 billion barrels by December, Axios reported. By the time the Iran war broke out, Beijing's reserve stood well above the roughly 413 million barrels held by the U.S. and the 263 million held by Japan. During the ceasefire last month, Iran sold nearly $6 billion worth of its oil to China using it to replenish whatever it burned through in its strategic petroleum reserve. They have also been purchasing oil from Russia at a deep discount.

August 10: iHeartMedia/KTRH Houston:
Abbott (R-TX); META agrees to comply with data center standards and guidelines
Governor Greg Abbott has announced that Meta will comply with the standards and guidelines he established for data centers. "I established clear guardrails to ensure data centers protect our electric grid, conserve our water, respect our neighborhoods, and pay their own way," said Governor Abbott. "They must not pass costs on to Texas families or interfere with their quality of life." The Governor directed the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to ensure data centers: - Pay for their electric infrastructure instead of shifting costs onto Texas families and small businesses; - Reuse their own water; and, - Pay their own way and eliminate reliance on outdated taxpayer-funded incentives.

August 10: Breitbart News:
Durable Goods, Factory Jobs Are Expanding at a Fast Pace for the First Time in Years
The best-kept secret in the U.S. economy right now is that it's experiencing a manufacturing renaissance. Durable goods manufacturing added 18,000 jobs in July, its best month of the year. Over the three months through July, durable goods payrolls rose 44,000. Motor vehicles and parts accounted for 7,900 of the July gain. Machinery added 2,600, fabricated metals 2,500, and computers and electronics 2,900, including 1,700 semiconductor jobs. During the first four months of the year, durable goods added 28,000 jobs, an average of 7,000 a month. May, June, and July produced 44,000 jobs, an average of nearly 15,000. The pace of hiring has more than doubled. Durable goods payrolls have now risen in every month of 2026, adding 72,000 jobs and averaging better than 10,000 a month. That is the first run of seven consecutive monthly gains since the streak that ended in January 2023. Year-over-year employment turned positive in June and widened to 35,000 in July, the first positive readings after 30 consecutive months of decline. Prior to July, the last three-month gain of this size came in the period ending in December 2022 (the first year of Biden's Presidency that followed four years of Donald Trump's first term in office). The next three and a half years (during the remainder of Biden's presidency and the first six months of Donald Trump's second term) the 42 monthly reports came and went without another strong three-month period. Once the economic policies of President Trump's second term had time to take hold, the durable goods reports changed dramatically for the better.

August 9: Fox News: Dinesh D'Souza challenges Bible skeptics with 'startling' archaeological discoveries
A trip to Israel by bestselling author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza sparked what would become a three-year deep dive into Biblical archaeology — a field he says offers striking support for the historical authenticity of the Bible. In an interview D'Souza said he became fascinated with biblical archaeology because it "stunningly supports the historicity of the Bible." His newest book "The Stones Cry Out," is scheduled to hit shelves on Oct. 13. "… for many, many centuries, Caiaphas had a kind of shady existence. He was mainly in the Bible, but not really outside the Bible," D'Souza said. Archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem later discovered … a bone box, bearing the name "Yehoseph bar Caiapha." "They look inside the box. It's the bones of a 60-year-old man. They date it. It goes to the first century A.D. It's Caiaphas," D'Souza exclaimed. "And the amazing thing is, we not only have an inscription or reference to him, we have his actual bones. ... Archaeology provides this kind of stunning corroboration for the people, the places and the events in the Bible." D'Souza said his book is an "attempt to bridge the gap between the academic world and the public."

August 9: The Gateway Pundit: Musk funding effort to get rid of Rank Choice Voting in Alaska
Elon Musk is trying to help put an end to 'ranked choice' voting in Alaska and he is putting his money where his mouth is. Ranked choice voting is used in Alaska and other places that always seems to favor the candidates that the left wants. A similar type of system was used in the Los Angeles mayoral race to push Spencer Pratt out of the election. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Musk has given $1.5 million to a group supporting the repeal of Alaska's voting system. Ballot Measure 2, which will appear on the November ballot, seeks to repeal Alaska's ranked choice voting method, along with open primaries and campaign finance laws that were themselves adopted by ballot measure in 2020. The ballot measure would revert Alaska to closed partisan primaries and pick-one general elections. Opponents of the ballot measure, who support the state's current voting system, have raised over $5 million, much of its support from out of state megadonors, the outlet reports.

August 9: The Washington Times: Quack, Quack: 90,000 plastic ducks released into
Chicago waterway as the search goes on for the winning duck; Annual event to support the "Special Olympics"
Tens of thousands of rubber ducks fill the Chicago River each year for the annual Chicago Ducky Derby fundraiser. Over 90,000 toy ducks are dropped from the Columbus Drive bridge to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois. Becky Cavanagh, the Ducky Derby ambassador and a 13-year Special Olympics athlete, held up the winning duck to the cheers of crowds packed on both sides of the river. Cavanagh said her favorite part about the Special Olympics was "making new friends." Asked before the race how she felt about picking the winning duck, she cheered. "Woo!" Special Olympics Illinois organizes competitions across the state for people with disabilities and special needs. It costs $10 to sponsor a "lone duck," which will feed an athlete lunch at a competition, and $30 for a "quack pack" of six ducks, which supplies gold medals for a team. The competition has raised more than $480,000. The sponsor of the fastest duck wins an SUV, and the runner-up will win $2,500 in cash, Pete Beale-DelVecchio, president of Special Olympics Illinois, said.

August 8: News Max: Well this isn't going to happen; Iran makes
unreasonable demands it the Strait of Hormuz is to be open to navigation
Iran's top national security official said Saturday the Strait of Hormuz will not fully reopen unless the United States meets a sweeping list of demands, including lifting sanctions and its naval blockade, withdrawing U.S. military forces from around Iran, and paying compensation for damage caused by the war. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, also demanded the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to attacks on Tehran's regional allies, and an end to threats against Iran. The conditions cast new uncertainty over efforts to restore commercial traffic through the critical waterway just as Iran and neighboring Oman appeared close to reaching an agreement on how ships could transit the strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Saturday the two countries were "very close" to an agreement on a temporary shipping route while technical and legal issues surrounding a permanent arrangement are resolved. What seems to be at play here is what we saw in Afghanistan, where there are different factions within the country and no one group speaks for the entire nation.

August 8: Fox News: Legal attempts to stop construction of ballroom at the White House experts say will not be successful
President Trump could win the legal fight over his planned White House ballroom, say two legal experts who believe the U.S. the Supreme Court could end the case without weighing in on the underlying constitutional issue. The DC Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against Trump based upon an argument by a person -- who lives near the White House and visits the area -- who says the proposed ballroom's size and design would diminish her enjoyment of the area by overshadowing the White House and weakening its aesthetic. Former Justice Department attorney Abhishek Kambli said the National Trust could face a particularly difficult hurdle on standing at the Supreme Court. He noted that, while Congress created the National Trust, the group still must show that its lawsuit is germaine to its interests. "While they do have ownership of some properties, like President's Park, where the White House East Ballroom is, is not one of them," Kambli said.

August 8: The Gateway Pundit: WBA finds itself in a quandary as two retired MBA players make
themselves available for the draft because, they say, the identify as women!
The WBA league is launching task-force meetings and "listening sessions" as two former NBA players demand to know whether its women-only eligibility rule is based on sex or self-identification. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has rushed out a memo to teams nationwide on Friday after former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White declared themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft by identifying as women! The league's collective bargaining agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." It offers no further definition of "women," no clear language on sex assigned at birth or gender identity, and no public detailed policy on transgender eligibility. That ambiguity is exactly what Freedom and White are exposing. "If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA," Freedom said.

August 7: Fox News: Long time Clinton Ally jumps ship in Michigan Senatorial race
A veteran Democrat attorney is speaking out in opposition to Michigan's new Democrat Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. Julian Epstein, who served as the chief legal counsel for House Democrats during the Clinton impeachment hearing and later provided legal representation for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, penned an op-ed in the New York Post Thursday about his support for El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. In an interview Friday, Epstein said his op-ed was his declaration that he is "jumping ship" to the other side in the highly-contested Senate race. "The Democrats have gone off the deep end," Epstein said. "I think the lunatics are in charge of the asylum. I think that there is no room in the tent for people that want to destroy our Constitution. There's no room in the tent for people that want to align themselves with radical Islam. There's no room in a tent for people that want to align themselves with antisemitism. And there's no room, in my view, for people who don't have any interest in building for the next generation but only want to redistribute what others have created and want to basically tear down the free market that has been the most effective anti-poverty liberation machine that human beings have ever invented," Epstein said.

August 7: Associated Press(Published by News Max): Three regional
powers sign defense pact: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a defense agreement on Friday that would treat an attack on one as an attack on all three, Turkish and Pakistani officials said, solidifying cooperation between the three regional powers at a time of growing security concerns. The agreement was signed in the Saudi holy city of Mecca. The agreement between the three Sunni Muslim-majority states brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan as well as Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry. It would increase cooperation and deterrence at a time of increased regional uncertainty and threats from the war in Iran.

August 7: The Gateway Pundit: California authorities move to have biased title put on November
proposition which, if passed, would require Voter IDs in subsequent elections
Judge Jennifer K. Rockwell denied the petition that would require an accurate description of a ballot proposition that would, if passed, require the presentation of an photo ID in order to vote. The court ruled that the Attorney General enjoys certain latitudes under California election law and that the current title "accurately describes the effect of the measure." Supporters of the proposition argued the "prohibits citizens from voting" framing is inaccurate and inflammatory. They contended the measure is a verification rule that regulates which ballots are counted, not a ban on casting a ballot, and that Attorney General Bonta (D) buried or minimized the citizenship verification and accurate rolls provisions of the proposition. They noted the original circulating title and summary issued in 2025 was far more neutral: "Establishes Additional Voter Identification and Citizenship Verification Requirements." Proposition supporters claim the bold title the California AG wants on the ballot is designed to prejudice the electorate against the measure. Proposition 39 would amend the state Constitution to require government-issued identification for in-person voting and the last four digits of a designated government-issued ID number on mail ballot envelopes. It also directs election officials to maintain accurate voter rolls, use best efforts to verify citizenship, and report annually on citizenship verification rates. The initiative qualified to be on the November ballot after more than 1.3 million signatures were collected.

August 6: Fox News:
Trump unveils different strategy to stem birthright citizenship tourism
President Trump Thursday signed two executive orders targeting birthright citizenship and birth tourism saying his administration is taking a new approach after what he called a "very unfortunate" Supreme Court ruling. "They're building businesses around birthright citizenship. That's not the way it was supposed to work. It's a disgrace. They're buying their way in, and we're not going to let it happen," Trump said. White House officials said the new directives rely on existing executive and immigration authorities and are intended to narrow eligibility for automatic citizenship in certain cases while cracking down on foreigners who travel to the United States to give birth. White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller said the first order expands the categories of people the administration considers ineligible for birthright citizenship, including "alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organizations, and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments." He said the second order is "for the first time ever in American history to ban birth tourism." He said the administration will deny visas to people who seek to enter the United States "to have a child, to make that child an automatic citizen" as well as those who organize such trips. Citing Section 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Miller called birth tourism "by definition, a fraud on the American system" and "a fraud against the American government."

August 6: News Max:
Trump happy with Hegseth's performance, Washington Post making up stories
President Trump defended Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Thursday after The Washington Post published a report alleging that they had clashed over concerns about U.S. munitions shortages. On social media Trump dismissed the report as "false and completely unfounded rumors," saying he is "extremely happy" with Hegseth's performance and accusing the newspaper of publishing a fabricated story despite being told it was inaccurate. "Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements," Trump wrote, pointing to the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, increased military recruitment, and recent U.S. military operations as evidence of Hegseth's leadership. Trump also defended the administration's military actions against Venezuela and Iran, claiming the operations were successful, and called The Washington Post's reporting "treasonous." The White House and Pentagon have denied the Post's report, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it "fake news" and reiterating that Trump has full confidence in Hegseth.

August 6: The Washington Times: Senate Committee reports contempt of Congress
against Fauci for not answering any questions at recent hearing
A Senate committee voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in a criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to answer senators' questions about his decisions and actions during the pandemic. The 8-5 party-line vote is a stain on the once-unblemished reputation of Dr. Fauci, who for decades ran the infectious diseases division at the National Institutes of Health and became the most visible face of U.S. efforts to grapple with the coronavirus. In a hearing last week, Dr. Fauci refused to answer any questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent 111 times. Republicans said that was unacceptable. They characterized Thursday's vote not as punishment but rather justice as they seek answers on the pandemic's origins and the government's decisions to push masks, shutdowns and vaccines. David Schertler, Dr. Fauci's lawyer, denounced the committee vote as "a crude political stunt" that punished him for exercising a constitutional right.

August 5: The Daily Caller: Pollsters got it wrong again…
No landslide in Michigan Democrat is U.S. Senate race
Polls repeatedly indicated former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed held a comfortable lead against Democrat Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, though the election results proved them wrong. El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens in a 48.5% to 47.5% vote Wednesday after finishing neck-and-neck with his opponent in the Michigan primary race Tuesday, The Associated Press results showed. However, polls suggested that El-Sayed held a significant lead against Stevens prior to primary day. One poll had the separation at 54% to 39% and another had 46% to 36%. In the end El-Sayed led by close to 15,000 votes.

August 5: The Washington Times: North Carolina GOP seeks nominee to
replace Rep. Chuck Edwards following lawmaker's exit from race
North Carolina Republicans are seeking a new nominee to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards in the 11th Congressional District race against Democrat Jamie Ager. Edwards won the Republican primary in March, but his reelection campaign for a third term was derailed after the House Ethics Committee recommended that he be censured after the panel found he violated the chamber's Code of Official Conduct through a sustained pattern of "unprofessional and inappropriate" behavior toward two female staffers. While the committee found no evidence of sexual activity or explicit propositions.

August 5: The New York Post: Clandestine meeting with Supreme Leader, but was it really him and who's in charge?
Iran' mysterious, "probably gay" supreme leader is so elusive that even his own president isn't convinced he met him in a bizarre one-on-one meeting in the back of a dark car. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was whisked to a secret location in Tehran, shoved into the back seat of a dark car with blacked-out windows and told he was sitting next to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — except he never actually saw the man, according to a bombshell report from Iran International. The bizarre cloak-and-dagger meeting reportedly lasted just a few minutes, not the cozy two-and-a-half-hour sit-down Pezeshkian bragged about publicly in May. Sources told Iran International that Khamenei's office agreed to the meeting only after Pezeshkian repeatedly begged for one and threatened to quit if it didn't happen. Even then, the supreme leader refused to meet at his official residence but, instead, the president was driven to a secret location in Tehran, pulled from his own security convoy and placed in the back of a commercial vehicle. The cabin was kept so dark the two men couldn't see each other — with guards even barring Pezeshkian from shaking the supreme leader's hand. The situation reportedly irritated Pezeshkian, who asked aides whether the person beside him had actually been Khamenei at all — because all he'd heard was someone talking in the dark. The president has since asked for another meeting, this time face-to-face at the leader's residence. So far, he's been turned down. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seems to have near total control over the nation. Iranian media reported this week that Khamenei formally granted IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi the ultimate authority on decision-making, sidelining Pezeshkian's political administration.

August 4: The Gateway Pundit: Dem Congressional candidate arrested
after an alleged altercation with Hawaiian beach goers
Kirill Basin, a democrat candidate for Congress, was arrested on Keawakapu Beach, Hawaii Saturday. Kirill is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI). He was arrested after a violent altercation at Keawakapu Beach on Maui. The ambitious Democrat was filmed taunting a group on the beach, saying, "What you gonna do? What you gonna do?" He was then filmed getting knocked out cold in one punch from a fed-up man who took was tired of his mouth. Kirill Basin, 40, was charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, and his bail was set at $1 million.

August 4: The Daily Caller:
Ethics committee opening investigation into Rep. Max Miller at the member's request
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation Tuesday into Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) after the congressman requested one be opened. Miller took steps Tuesday for the Ethics Committee to investigate his ex-wife's domestic violence allegations against him, claiming he had "absolutely nothing to hide." The committee announced it is "reviewing" the allegations against the embattled congressman. Pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a), the committee is reviewing allegations that Representative Max Miller may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of the Code of Official Conduct or any other applicable standard of conduct, the committee said. "The Committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred," the statement continued. "No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules.

August 4: News Max: Trump to Iran; Last chance to reach an agreement
President Trump Monday warned Iran it was getting a "last chance" to reach an agreement before facing what he described as potential "decapitation" strikes against the country's leadership, while saying he expects a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days. Speaking from the Oval Office, he said he halted a planned large-scale U.S. military operation over the weekend to give Tehran one final opportunity to accept a negotiated agreement, but stressed that military plans remain on the table if diplomacy fails. Trump said, "This is the last chance for them to sign a good document. I want to give them every last chance before decapitation." The president said the U.S. still has plans prepared for a major military operation if negotiations collapse but that he would prefer a diplomatic resolution over military action. Later Monday, Trump accused Iran's leadership of being "unbelievably duplicitous" after Tehran publicly denied direct negotiations with Washington.

August 3: Fox News: Careful what you say, it may come back to bite you
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, once proposed allowing undocumented immigrants to secure driver's licenses, making the case that not doing so would be discriminatory. "We've got to make sure that in this state we are not discriminating against documentation status. Right now, if you're undocumented, you don't get access to a driver's license. You're stuck," El-Sayed said in a campaign interview in 2018 while running for Governor. Eight years later, as he looks to join the U.S. Senate, the resurfaced clip sheds light on El-Sayed's past thinking about how local governments should interact with illegal aliens and raises questions about whether granting them state identification would in some ways legitimize their presence in the U.S.

August 3: News Max: Tuesday's election in Michigan could cement
Democratic Socialist grasp on the Democrat Party
Tuesday's Democrat primary in Michigan is more than a local contest. A victory by Abdul El-Sayed would mark a pivotal advance for the Democratic Socialists of America and their allies, installing one of the movement's most prominent figures in a competitive U.S. Senate seat and amplifying their influence if Democrats reclaim the chamber next year. Recent polling shows El-Sayed, a former Detroit and Wayne County public health official, holding a clear lead over four-term Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI); 54% to 39% in one poll. Younger voters and progressives drive the gap; older and Black voters lean toward Stevens. El-Sayed has the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the United Auto Workers, and DSA organizers who have poured resources into Michigan. El-Sayed favors Medicare for all, aggressive wealth taxes, and an anti-Israel foreign policy — much as New York Mayor Mamdani does.

August 3: The Epoch Times: Senate advances funding bill
to avoid government shutdown
The U.S. Senate voted on Aug. 3 to advance a stopgap funding bill that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11. The Senate voted 89–4 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to HR 6500, which serves as the legislative vehicle for a continuing resolution. "It is a strong, bipartisan piece of legislation, and I hope it will receive overwhelming support from both parties in the Senate," Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said. Senators voting against the measure were Kane (D-VA), Paul (R-KY), Sanders (I-VT) and Warren (D-MA). The measure would keep the government funded at current levels through Dec. 11, giving Congress more time to negotiate full-year spending bills before the current fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

August 2: Fox News/Associated Press:
Who speaks for Iran; leadership split as negotiations continue
Iran's leadership remains deeply divided over negotiations with the U.S., with the most radical factions in Tehran arguing that talks shouldn't take place at all. Leading the furthest fringes is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps representing the "Paydari" movement – Persian for "stability." This group insists Iran cannot make any concessions to the U.S. and insists Tehran must win an absolute victory militarily. The faction in favor of negotiations with the U.S. is led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. They argue that negotiations are a twin path to victory alongside military action. Both factions want a "victory" and don't apparently rule out military actions. The success of either faction will have major implications for how Iran operates after the war with the U.S. concludes. Keep in mind, President Trump doesn't seek to gain territory or power but instead guarantees that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon and that the Strait of Hormuz is open to free navigation by all nations.

August 2: The Gateway Pundit: Maine Dem Senate candidate pushes back
but doesn't deny having children with his cousin; A ho-hum issue?
Democrat Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson has broken his silence on reports that he married (co-mingled with) his second cousin and fathered children with her. Notably, there was no denial of the report. Instead, his campaign chalked it up as "Personal attacks on Troy's family" as if there's nothing wrong with marrying your own relative. "Personal attacks on Troy's family are shameful and desperate," the Jackson campaign said in a statement. It was revealed earlier that Jackson's wife is actually his second cousin. The pair had two children together. "Jackson, a 26-year politician and lobbyist, has made a career of bragging that he's a is a fifth-generation logger, but you don't have to go far back the generational line to find where it crosses paths with the ancestors of his significant other Lana M. Pelletier," Maine Wire editor-in-chief Steve Robinson revealed. "Jackson and Pelletier share the same great-grandparents: Thomas Pelletier and Edith Thibodeau. Thomas and Edith's daughter Albertine was Troy's grandmother; their son Louis Sr. was Lana's grandfather. That makes Troy and Lana second cousins on the Pelletier line." Noteworthy is the fact that marrying one's cousin is not illegal, making this a non-issue in the mind of some.

August 2: News Max:
Something must be up as U.S. embassies warn Americans to be ready to leave the middle east
U.S. embassies in capitals across the Middle East Saturday warned their citizens to beware of "unforeseen escalation" in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave. The warning, posted online by U.S. embassies in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, came a day after President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran "very hard." Iran and the United States have been at war since Feb. 28. A period of calm followed a ceasefire, though that collapsed with a return of strikes. With no end in sight, the war has for months upended the lives of people across the Middle East and rattled global energy markets. "Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation," said the security alert. The messages urged citizens to check flight details and to follow safety advice from local authorities. "Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions," it said. U.S. citizens in Jordan were told not to visit military bases in the country, which have recently come under Iranian missile attack, and in Israel they were urged to seek the location of the nearest bomb shelter.

August 1: Fox News: Anthony Fauci may still be in jeopardy
as states start to investigate if he violated any state statutes
Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci may be spending more time in the Deep South than he envisioned after officials in Alabama and Florida announced plans to investigate whether he can be held accountable under state law for maladministration of the COVID-19 response. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times during a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday. Meanwhile Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) argued former President Biden's blanket pardon eliminated Fauci's federal criminal exposure for covered conduct and undercut his basis for refusing to answer. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said that same pardon cannot prevent prosecution at the state level under the Constitution — which says presidential pardons cover "offenses (sic) against the United States."

August 1: News Max:
Two commercial tankers report security issues near the Strait of Hormuz
Two commercial tankers reported separate security incidents near the Strait of Hormuz overnight as Iran warned the United States that continued military pressure could disrupt other strategic shipping routes, raising fresh concerns about global energy supplies and the potential for another escalation in the five-month old conflict. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British military-linked maritime security organization, said Saturday it received reports of two incidents near the entrance to the strategic waterway off Oman. In the first, a tanker about 11 nautical miles northeast of Limah was struck by an "unknown projectile," damaging its engine room and leaving the vessel unable to maneuver but no injuries were reported. A short time later, another tanker reported seeing a large splash and explosion near the vessel. No damage or injuries were reported. The incidents marked the latest threat to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supplies normally pass.

August 1: Joe Hoft Substack:
Three Ways Dishonest Pollsters often Rig results
With all the political polls flooding TV screens and smartphones, it's practically impossible to separate truth from blatant fabrication. Every election cycle a familiar narrative plays out across corporate media. Months before Election Day, we are told conservative candidates are trailing by double digits, common-sense reforms are falling flat, and progressive momentum is declared "inevitable." This is psychological warfare designed to achieve three specific outcomes:
- Voter demoralization; attempting to convince working-class voters their ballots won't matter, so why even vote? Analysts contend this will reduce voter turnout by 2%-5%, enough to flip an election.
- Strangle challengers fundraising by signaling donors that giving to a challenger's campaign is wasting their money and thereby depriving the candidate of critical funds.
- Discouraging challenger's supporters from sharing their beliefs with family and friends.
Dishonest pollsters have been continually proven wrong but that hasn't seemed to keep them from spinning their narrative:
- 2020 Presidential Race; Legacy media had Trump trailing Biden by 17% in Wisconsin. On Election Day, the actual margin was under 1%.
- 2024 Senate Races: Outlets consistently showed conservative challengers trailing by double digits in key states, only for those races to come down to razor-thin margins.
The results of polls hinge on the sampling of participants and the questions asked. Often, there are more Democrats included, and the questions asked are leading to a preconceived result. For example, one poll asked, "Do you support common-sense gun safety regulations to reduce violent crime?" Almost anyone said yes to "safety." But ask the question in a neutral way like, "Do you support or oppose restricting constitutional Second Amendment rights?"—and the numbers flip. Using loaded words can tilt the poll's outcome by 5%-12%.

July 31: One America News Network: Governor Hobbs (D-AZ) refuses to appear
on the debate stage with her Republican opponent; What's she afraid of?
Arizona Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs will not participate in general election debates against her Republican challenger, Representative Andy Biggs — marking the second consecutive gubernatorial election in which the Democrat incumbent has opted to bypass the traditional debate stage. The decision was formally confirmed by Hobbs' campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, who claimed that direct, community-level interaction "offers voters greater value" than televised forums. Conservatives and other moderate critics have argued it is a bad look anytime a Democrat candidate refuses to debate a Republican contender, emphasizing that it signals a lack of confidence in their own knowledge and political messaging while giving off an impression of cowardice. Bigg's campaign argued that independent and undecided voters deserve to see both major-party candidates debate side by side on critical state issues, confirming that Biggs still plans to attend the debate organized by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission scheduled for October 6th.

July 31: News Max:
Fully refundable compliance bond for U.S. visas to be made permanent next month
The State Department is making permanent a pilot program under which citizens from 50 countries are required to post bonds to apply for a U.S. visa to as much as $20,000. The notice is to be formally released on Monday, the day the program becomes permanent, and additional countries may be added to the list. The pilot program set the maximum bond amount at $15,000, with lower amounts based on a consular officer's discretion. The final regulation raises the maximum to $20,000. The program impacts B1 and B2 visas (business and tourist visas). The Trump administration rolled out the program last August to crack down on visa overstays and as part of its broader efforts to curtail illegal migration. The government estimates that arresting and deporting visitors who have overstayed their visa costs about $18,000 per person. State Department officials have hailed the pilot program a great success. In 2024, nearly 45,500 visitors from the 50 countries in the program overstayed their visas. In the first 10 months of the pilot visa bond program, the number of overstays from those countries was fewer than 50.

July 31: The Washington Times: F-35B Marine aircraft crashes near
Miramar MCAS while returning from the Middle East
According to local reports, an F-35B fighter jet crashed Friday morning at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in San Diego. The aircraft reportedly caught fire, sending large clouds of black smoke into the air and causing the pilot to eject. Local media in San Diego noticed the smoke in the late morning. The jet was part of a group of six aircraft returning from a mission in the Middle East when the crash occurred. Footage from the scene shows local emergency response crews using water cannons on the wreckage of the aircraft.


July 31: Fox News: Legislation introduced that would prohibit Dr. Fauci
from ever working for the Federal Government in the future
The bill, called the STOP the SWAMP Act, would bar people from working for the federal government if they refuse to answer certain questions from federal lawmakers or if they are convicted of perjury. The bill, introduced by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) was in response to Dr. Fauci's pleading 5th amendment protections 111 time in a recent Senate hearing, including questions about the color of his tie and the color of the hearing room carpet. The hearing's purpose was to get on record the mistakes made during the COVID crisis.

July 30: News Max: Bipartisan agreement, the number of non-citizens registered
to vote in New Jersey is higher than what is being reported
New Jersey reportedly depends on "the honor system" when it comes to voter rolls, and officials from both parties say the number of noncitizens being registered is significantly higher than Democrat Gov. Mikie Sherrill recently disclosed. A report from Politico found election officials, campaign operatives, and lawmakers from both parties believe New Jersey's voter registration system contains longstanding flaws. Those flaws include the 6,600 noncitizens who Sherrill said were mistakenly added to the voter rolls because of a Motor Vehicle Commission software error between June 2023 and June 2024. Hunterdon County Board of Elections Administrator Beth Thompson said that while county officials verify identities using Social Security or driver's license numbers, neither confirms U.S. citizenship. Election insiders from both parties believe the actual number of noncitizen registrations is considerably higher because automatic voter registration has been in place since 2018, while Sherrill's figures cover only a single year. The Trump administration has estimated that more than 35,000 noncitizens could be registered in the state, although that figure has not been independently verified. Governor Sherrill has refused to share with DOJ the names and identifying information of registrants and those who voted. Supporters of tighter election safeguards argue the controversy underscores the need for stronger voter verification requirements, including proof of citizenship and voter ID laws, while state officials insist they are correcting the errors without disenfranchising eligible voters.

July 30: Fox News: Trump says reports that China will be sending shoulder fired
SAMs to Iran would be a surprise while China denies plans for such a shipment
The Chinese foreign ministry Thursday disputed a report from Reuters that Beijing is preparing to help Iran replenish its defenses in the war against the United States, with a spokesperson claiming that China wants to bring an end to the conflict. Reuters, citing numerous anonymous sources, said Wednesday Iran is expected in the next few weeks to receive a shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers. The development emerged as the U.S. military has repeatedly been striking and weakening Iranian military infrastructure. "China has made its position clear on relevant issues on multiple occasions. The report is not true and has no factual ground at all. China always works for peace and the end of the conflict," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday. Meanwhile President Trump said Wednesday the reports that China is sending 400 rocket launchers to Iran via Pakistan would be "surprising," adding that President Xi Jinping had assured him Beijing would not become involved. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Trump said, "I mean, things like that happen, but that would be surprising."

July 29: Reuters(published by News Max):
Trust the Chinese? Nope! They flout their promise to Trump and are providing Iran with missiles
Reuters is reporting that Iran is preparing to receive hundreds of Chinese-made shoulder-fired air defense missiles in what would appear to contradict Chinese President Xi Jinping's reported assurances to President Trump that Beijing would not provide weapons to Tehran. Citing three sources familiar with the arrangement, Reuters says Iran has agreed to buy between 300 and 400 Chinese-made man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, in a deal valued at $60 million to $70 million. The shipment would mark one of Iran's most significant efforts to rebuild its air defenses after months of U.S. and Israeli strikes exposed vulnerabilities in the country's ability to protect military bases, missile facilities, and other strategic sites. [It is possible that U.S. forces could intercept and destroy these weapons in transit? Time will tell.]

July 29: One American News Network:
Thune; not enough votes to pass the budget resolution in the Senate
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) noted that while he and several of his colleagues are open to the idea of delaying the recess, he does not believe it will happen right now. "We'll have a more fulsome conversation about that later," he stated. "Right now, we don't have 50." If a House-passed budget resolution were to clear the Senate, it would allow Republicans to bypass the filibuster and advance a broader spending package through the budget reconciliation process. However, the Majority Leader indicated that he does not believe 50 senators will vote to advance the resolution.

July 29: Breitbart News:
Fauci's choice; tell the truth or risk Contempt of Congress charges
President Biden, reportedly granted Dr. Anthony Fauci full immunity that covered "any offenses against the United States which he may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon[.]" [Of course the pardon has been in doubt by some to claim it was autopened and not actually signed by the President.] This gave Fauci two options at today's hearing before Senator Rand Paul's (R-KY) committee. He could 1) tell the truth and completely undercut his already fast-eroding reputation, or 2) risk a contempt of Congress charge for invoking the Fifth Amendment. He chose the latter over 110 times, including pleading the 5th amendment when asked what color his tie was and what color was of the carpet in the hearing room! Rather than tell the truth (which would NOT have put him in any legal jeopardy), Fauci chose to put himself in legal jeopardy with a contempt charge by refusing to talk. Observers say taking the Fifth is only valid when you are in legal jeopardy. Therefore, absolutely nothing he testified to during the years covered by the pardon would have put him in legal jeopardy, leading to conjecture that the truth must be very damming. Fauci's diary proves, in his own words, that Fauci repeatedly lied and was a serially deceiver about COVID 19 and its origins.

July 29: The Epoch Times: Texas Senator Cornyn a stumbling block in
confirmation of Trump's pick for Attorney General; payback time?
The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday announced it was postponing a scheduled vote to confirm President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Justice, Todd Blanche. A day before the critical Senate Judiciary Committee was set to vote on confirming Blanche for attorney general, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said he would be withholding his support. Cornyn cancelled a meeting with Blanche scheduled for Wednesday and told reporters that he was "not prepared" to vote for Blanche. Without support from all Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Cornyn, Blanche's nomination was poised to fail. Some contend that Cornyn is still miffed at Trump's endorsement of Ken Paxton (R-TX) where the Senior Senator from Texas lost his primary reelection bid. Cornyn, however, says his objection stems from his demand for Blanche's Justice Department to respond in writing to his concerns over settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS for leaking his tax returns.

July 28: The Washington Times: Newly released audio tape confirms Joe Biden
was aware he had classified material and shared it with his biographer
Former President Biden is heard on newly released tapes telling a ghostwriter that he had classified material and was sharing it for his 2017 memoir, for which he received an $8 million advance. Biden read classified notes "nearly verbatim" to writer Mark Zwonitzer for the book "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose," which was published a year after Biden's two terms as vice president ended and while he was contemplating a presidential run. The 70 hours of recordings released by the House Judiciary Committee this week reveal Biden acknowledging some of the material, which he removed while serving as vice president and during his time in the Senate, was top secret. "The next thing I have here is classified," Biden is heard saying to Zwonitzer during one of their interviews. On another recording, Biden, then a former vice president, told Zwonitzer, "Some of this may be classified, so be careful with it."

July 28: News Max: Senate moves Graham's Russian sanctions bill forward
A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday unveiled a compromise sanctions bill backed by President Trump that would expand U.S. penalties on Russia and Iran while granting the president new authority to impose steep tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian energy. The agreement sets up a renewed fight over presidential trade powers even as lawmakers seek to honor one of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's final legislative priorities. The legislation would authorize Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, as well as countries found to be helping Moscow evade energy sanctions. It would also extend the Iran Sanctions Act through 2031, preventing it from expiring this year, and authorize tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods imported into the United States. Senate leaders scheduled a procedural vote for Tuesday evening after Trump publicly signaled support for the measure. The Senate's action comes the same day as Graham's funeral, highlighting the bipartisan push to advance a bill viewed as a cornerstone of the South Carolina Republican's efforts to increase economic pressure on Moscow following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. With the bill likely to pass the Senate, the House has already left for its August recess, so final approval will need to wait until they return in September.

July 28: Breitbart Business News:
The Fatal Economics of Mamdani's Government Grocery Stores
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to open a slate of government-owned grocery stores has begun to take shape. The mayor said Monday that the "Mamdegas" would sell produce, meat, and a host of other kitchen staples at a 30% discount to what privately owned grocers offer in the city. The apparently will not be run directly by the city but the City will pay for the construction of the stores which will not pay any property taxes, giving them a decided competitive advantage over their private sector competition. The city (i.e., the New York City taxpayers) will also subsidize their operations and discounts. It's called putting the government's hand on the scales and clearly a socialistic move. There will be one store in each of the five boroughs. The stores will offer "government approved" and supposedly healthy groceries; produce, meat, seafood, pasta, and the like. [The outstanding question is how long can they be sustained? Will there be shortages and long food lines? And how long will NYC be able to continuing paying for them as the wealthy in the city are exiting in big numbers – thereby reducing the amount of income the City is able to bring in.]

July 27: Fox News: Embarrassing; Anthony Fauci's candid diary
comments about COVID-19 era not being reported by Legacy Media
Eye-popping diary entries written by Dr. Anthony Fauci reveal the former White House COVID advisor was fixated on his newfound celebrity at the height of the global pandemic, but anyone who relies on legacy media outlets for news and information may not be aware. ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, CNN and MS NOW's on-air broadcasts ignored Fauci's diary entries from the time they were released on Saturday afternoon through Monday at 9 a.m. ET when flagship morning shows had concluded, according to a search of transcripts using Grabien Media. Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY), the journals chronicle Fauci's day-to-day role during the COVID-19 crisis through conversations with President Donald Trump, governors and world leaders, media appearances, and his personal observations as the pandemic unfolded in 2020.

July 27: The Washington Times:
Fauci fixated on fame while COVID death toll rises; his diary shows
It was March 22, 2020, and the coronavirus pandemic was seriously biting, with more than 10,000 new cases and more than 125 new deaths — while Dr. Anthony Fauci was obsessed with how much media attention he was getting. "Press is going wld [sic] with me," he wrote according to his personal diary, released this weekend by Sen. Rand Paul(R-KY), in which Fauci marveled at his domination of the newspapers and, in particular, their willingness to side with him over President Trump. "The press are crucifying the POTUS for 'not listening to me,'" he wrote, reveling in media coverage he said hailed him "for sticking to my guns." Senator Paul, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the document just days before Fauci is slated to appear before the panel. The diary, which spans 1,141 pages of an electronic document, will give senators plenty of ammunition.

July 27: The Daily Caller: Isn't going to happen with Thune at the reins;
3 senators call to forgo August Recess and passage of SAVE Act
President Trump and three Republicans senators called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to cancel the chamber's summer recess until the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act is passed. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Ashley Moody (R-FL) said the chamber should cancel recess until the election integrity bill passed. Any senator could object to the upcoming recess that would last until mid-September. "John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to "leave town" until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, terminates the filibuster, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything, they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE America Act, the Budget, and the ever-looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!" Trump said on Truth Social Monday. Lee said Sunday he would object to any effort to enter recess until the election integrity bill passes.

July 26: Reuters(Published by News Max): Israeli strike take-out senior Hamas official
An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed a senior officer ‌of the Hamas-run Palestinian internal security service in the Gaza Strip and an associate as they traveled in a vehicle through central Gaza. The strike killed Colonel Wael El-Ledawi, ‌head of the service in central Gaza, and Major Ramez Abu Zraiq, and the Hamas-run interior ministry said. No further details were available from Israeli military officials. In the past few months Israel has killed dozens of members of the Hamas-led police force, including senior ⁠officials, accusing many of them of being members of the Hamas armed wing who posed imminent threats to Israel and its ‌forces inside Gaza. Hamas says Israeli attacks on the police force and its headquarters ‌are intended to sow chaos and anarchy in the enclave and violate the U.S.-brokered ‌October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel effectively controls an estimated 64% of the tiny coastal Strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel's two-year military assault ‌that followed the 2023 Hamas ‌attack on southern Israel that killed over 1,200 its citizens and allowed the capture of hostages by the terrorist organization. As long as Hamas continues to control the Gaza Strip, it is likely living conditions will continue to be substandard.

July 25: Fox News:
FBI captures fourth of its most wanted COVID fraudsters in the last five weeks
One of the FBI's most wanted alleged COVID-19 fraud fugitives has been returned to the United States after authorities captured her in Jamaica, where FBI Director Kash Patel said she had been living under the fake identity "Harley Newman" while evading charges tied to a $32 million pandemic relief fraud scheme. Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, arrived back in South Florida Thursday after Jamaican authorities arrested her following a federal manhunt. Prosecutors allege she helped fraudulently obtain more than $32 million in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief funds before fleeing the country after failing to appear in federal court. Escoe was indicted in 2025 on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple counts of money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. Patel called Escoe's arrest another milestone in the FBI's international fraud crackdown, saying she is the fourth alleged "Most Wanted Fraudster" captured in the past five weeks. "The historic success of the 'Most Wanted Fraudster' list continues as the FBI and our partners just captured our fourth Most Wanted Fraudster in 5 weeks, and yet another high value target returned to the U.S. by this FBI," Patel said.

July 25: News Max:
13-day streak of attacks on Iran halted, but what's next?
Iran reported its first night without a U.S. attack after 13 consecutive days of strikes, while U.S. Central Command also did not announce any overnight operations. Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesman for Iran's Health Ministry, "Fortunately, no attack was recorded last night, and therefore the casualty statistics for the July war, apart from the discharge of a few more injured individuals, did not see any significant change. Axios reported President Donald Trump made the call not to green light another round of attacks. Neither CENTCOM nor the White House immediately commented on whether the lack of announcements reflected a pause in operations. The apparent lull came a day after Trump said he had not yet decided whether to authorize a larger military operation against Iran, telling reporters the Islamic Republic was becoming "more and more serious" in negotiations with Washington. "We're locked and loaded and ready to go. But we're talking to them, so I think while we're talking, we'll see what comes of it. I believe ... They're very serious. They should be," Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office. Trump also said Iran faced a choice between reaching an agreement with the United States or confronting a "much higher level" of strikes, while reiterating that his red line was preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

July 25: The Gateway Pundit: Alan Dershowitz's view of the Democrat Party
Former Democrat Alan Dershowitz blasted the Democrat Party in a recent interview with Michael Cohen on WABCRadio. Dershowitz is an American lawyer, former Harvard law professor, and author known for his expertise in U.S. constitutional and criminal law. He was an outspoken Democrat for many years. Dershowitz, who admits he is proud of joining the Republican Party, did not hold back in his disdain of the dangerous and wicked Democrat Party comparing them to what we saw in 1932 Germany. Obviously, he is talking about their open hatred of Jews. Dershowitz also labeled the Democrat Party "evil." "I don't want AOC to be a chairman of a department. I don't want Liz Warren to be the chairman of a committee. I don't want Bernie Sanders to have more power. The only way to do that is to vote Republican. Now, I don't agree with everything in the Republican platform. I'm not happy with some of the policies they have, but you, you pick between the lesser of the two evils," Dershowitz said.

July 24: The Epoch Times:
Uptick in rejected absentee ballots in California
Election data provided by California state officials for last month's primary elections show that more than 148,000 mail-in ballots were rejected, an uptick of more than 40,000 from the 2024 primary. All in all, 148,241 were rejected in the state's June 2 primary election, according to data released by the California secretary of state's office, which manages elections. The figure represents less than 2% of all absentee ballots received. More than 93,000 mail-in ballots were rejected by officials because they arrived too late. Another 8,300 were rejected because there was no voter signature on the ballot, and nearly 44,000 were rejected because they had non-matching signatures. Meanwhile, some 580 weren't counted because a photo ID wasn't provided, more than 740 were rejected because the voter had already voted, about 640 were rejected because the ballot was missing from the envelope, and roughly 450 were flagged as having multiple ballots in each envelope. Tulare County had the highest rejection rate, 3.52% with Alpine and Merced counties close behind at 3.36%. Still in question is how many non-citizens voted by mail and how many of their ballots were accepted for counting.

July 23: The Washington Times: Congress back to its old tricks, Continuing Resolutions and blocking real legislation in an effort to show bipartisanship
The Senate, under the "leadership" of John Thune (R-SD) is aiming to spend its final two weeks before a monthlong summer recess showing bipartisanship still exists. If all goes according to plan, the chamber could pass two or three bipartisan bills before it adjourns on Aug. 6 or 7 until after Labor Day. Republican leaders hope that after two record government shutdowns this Congress, Democrats will help pass a stopgap bill to fund the government through the midterm elections this fall. "So far, my Democrat colleagues have signaled that they do not want to force another government shutdown," Thune said. Democrats, indeed, say they're open to a deal. Top appropriators are in the midst of negotiating one. However, with the contention over adoption of the SAVE Act and the House considering including parts of it in the continuing resolution, there may be some stumbling blocks in the road ahead. The House passed a funding extension through Dec. 4. All but six Democrats voted in opposition, citing language that would let the Department of Homeland Security shift billions to border patrol agents working on President Trump's deportation force after Republicans already provided the agency three years of funding in a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill.

July 24: News Max: Trump to China and Russia; Stay out of the Iran conflict
President Donald Trump Friday issued an unusually direct warning aimed at Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, declaring that neither nation should become involved in the Iran war. Saying if they did, such a move would carry serious consequences. Reportedly both leaders personally assured Trump they wouldn't provide weapons to Tehran. "President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran — And that statement included Chinese Companies. Considering our relationship, I take him at his word," Trump revealed. "Likewise, President Putin ... told me that he would not sell Weapons to Iran. ... Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating," he continued. "If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests." Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and one of the nation's leading scholars on military coercion and escalation said "Trump is essentially warning Xi and Putin to stay on the sidelines." He added the surprise warning by Trump is a "strong indication big escalation is coming soon." Meanwhile U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed any specific large-scale offensive is in the offing.

July 24: Fox News:
Battleground Dem governor torched for 'drunken sailor' spending symbolic of bigger problem
Arizona Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs' reelection campaign spent nearly three times what it raised in the second quarter of 2026, burning through more than $7.4 million in three months as a prominent GOP activist in Arizona accused the battleground incumbent of "spending like a drunken sailor" to prop up a struggling campaign. Campaign finance records show Hobbs' campaign began the Federal Election Commission's (FEC) second quarter filing period with roughly $7.18 million cash on hand, raised about $2.64 million, spent more than $7.44 million and ended the quarter with about $2.38 million in the bank. The filing shows much of the spending went toward communications, TV, advertising and outside campaign firms giving Republicans a fresh line of attack as Hobbs seeks reelection in one of the nation's most closely watched battleground gubernatorial races. "She's spending like a drunken sailor. And drunken sailors typically don't spend smart," Turning Point USA chief operating officer, former Maricopa County GOP chair and 7th generation Arizonan Tyler Bowyer said. "When you're spending that much money on consultants and TV and paid messaging, that tells me there isn't a lot of organic energy behind the campaign."

July 23: The Gateway Pundit: Former special counsel Jack Smith being investigated
for lying to Congress after Congressional criminal referral received
The Justice Department has received House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan's (R-OH) criminal referral of Jack Smith and is conducting an investigation into his false statements to Congress. Wednesday evening House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan criminally referred former special counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department for prosecution. In a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Chairman Jordan said Jack Smith's testimony included "intentionally false statements designed to obstruct the Committee's oversight." "All individuals have an obligation to comply with a duly authorized congressional inquiry. Mr. Smith, a former public servant, is no different," Jordan wrote in a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "Yet his testimony included intentionally false statements designed to obstruct the Committee's oversight." "His conduct can only be understood as an effort to thwart the Committee's inquiry by intentionally making false statements and representations before Congress," Jordan added. At issue is Jack Smith's testimony to the House Judiciary Committee last December. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) last Tuesday revealed that Jack Smith spied on 44 members of Congress and actually read their text messages. Smith said under oath that he did not read any text messages – but this is not true. Jack Smith lied when asked if the records he requested included the contents of calls and texts.

July 23: Breitbart News: Report:
Nearly 250,000 people fled Cuba in 2025
Cuba's ongoing population collapse continued throughout 2025 with record-low birthrates and the exodus of a quarter of a million Cubans, the communist Castro regime admitted in an official report this week. Cuba has experienced nine consecutive years of a population collapse marked by an ongoing migrant exodus of Cubans fleeing from communism, the lowest birth rates ever recorded in the nation, and a remaining aging population that the Castro regime has recently described as the most aged in all of Latin America and the Caribbean. This week, Cuba's National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) published a new demographic status report acknowledging the precarious state of Cuba's demographic composition and the ongoing collapse of its dwindling population. According to ONEI, there were 9,434,593 inhabitants left in Cuba by the end of 2025 — 313,414 fewer than those documented in 2024. [So what does that tell us about socialism and communism? Is that what the Democratic Socialist and the leftist Democrats want? Go figure!]

July 22: Fox News: Senators want memorial honoring Chinese nationals who died under Communict Chinese agression and want it put in park across from their embasy
Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marsha Blackburn(R-TN) introduced legislation Tuesday to create a memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring victims of genocide, crimes against humanity and political persecution committed by the Chinese Communist Party as the Democrat Party deals with a socialist civil war in its ranks. The bill, titled the Honoring the Victims of Communist China's Tyranny Act, would require the State Department to establish a memorial in International Park, across from the CCP Embassy, honoring victims of the Chinese Communist Party's persecution. The memorial would commemorate victims from Mao Zedong's rule, whose policies historians estimate killed tens of millions of people, to the Tiananmen Square crackdown and the genocide against Uyghurs recognized by the U.S. government. "The people of China deserve nothing less than the God-given liberty and unalienable rights America's founders fought for 250 years ago," Scott said. "America should have zero tolerance for Communist China and its crimes." Scott added that Xi Jinping and the CCP are "responsible for some of the worst human rights abuses in history," citing forced slave labor, torture, forced sterilizations and organ harvesting as well as several "other horrors." CCP "is guilty of the worst human rights abuses imaginable." "Our legislation would honor victims of Communist China's tyranny by allocating existing funds and donations to build a memorial that will ensure America never forgets the human cost of the CCP's oppression," Blackburn said.

July 22: Fox News: Rubio; Iran sending IRGC elements to Houthis in Yemen
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Wednesday accused Iran of flying members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into Yemen, saying Tehran's actions helped ignite a renewed confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. "They decided to send direct flights from Tehran into Yemen, carrying IRGC elements and others into the country," Rubio told reporters. "And the Saudis responded to it." Rubio did not identify the flights, specify how many IRGC personnel were allegedly transported or provide evidence supporting the allegation.

July 22: The Gateway Pundit: ERIC system New Jersey uses, doesn't report voter's citizenship status
The recent news of illegal aliens registering in mass in NJ, and then voting, is not a surprise to many. New Jersey is one of many States that DO NOT use the free Federal SAVE system to check for illegal aliens in their voter registrations or existing voter rolls. SAVE is an online service administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that provides immigration status and U.S. citizenship information. SAVE only returns verification information. The decision to register or remove a voter remains with state or local election officials. As of June 30th, there are 26 states using SAVE for voter-registration or voter-list-maintenance purposes (Texas being one of them). It processed 198 million cases in 2025. The remaining 24 (mostly left-leaning) states have no public info that their election authority uses SAVE. In August 2022 New Jersey signed up with ERIC [ the Electronic Registration Information Center] to help clean their voter rolls. Secretary of State Tahesha Way said, "ERIC is a powerful step to strengthen New Jersey's elections by increasing our ability to support eligible voters while also improving the accuracy of our voting rolls." The problem is that this isn't working well, one of the reasons Texas got out of this project. ERIC doesn't allow members to notate information about citizenship. Additionally, ERIC doesn't access the federal government's SAVE system. When President Trump returned to office several major changes were made to the SAVE system. States can now process voter list in bulk. It now uses SSA data during citizenship verification, and it allows searches by Name, DOB, and last four of SS#. The cost, under Trump has been reduced from $1 per transaction to free, saving states thousands of dollars annually while encouraging states to utilize the database.

July 22: The Daily Caller:
Fifth Circuit Rules Illegal Aliens Do Not Have Constitutional Right To Roam Free In US
The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled late Tuesday that illegal aliens do not have the constitutional right to roam the nation during their removal proceedings. The ruling, led by George W. Bush appointed Chief Judge Jennifer Elrod overturned a lower court's decision granting bond hearings and releasing three illegal immigrants ICE custody, putting the lower court's orders on hold pending a full appeal. The Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Division's Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said the decision makes clear that "illegal aliens do not have a constitutional right to roam free in the United States during their removal proceedings."

July 22: One America News Network:
One of the hardest things a Presidents to do; being present when KIAs are brought home
President Trump, along with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to attend the dignified transfer honoring the four U.S. service members who were killed in recent strikes involving Iran. Prior to heading to Delaware on Wednesday, the president told reporters that attending the solemn return of fallen service members killed abroad is "one of the hardest things to do" as commander-in-chief. "We're going to honor them. And one of the hardest things to do for me, it's one of the hardest things to do as a president. But has to be done," Trump said.

July 22: The Washington Times: U.S. and Saudi Arabia to sign nuclear deal this week
The Trump administration is set to announce and sign a new civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia Wednesday that could allow the kingdom to begin enriching its own fuel for reactors, reports say. The deal has already been approved by Trump and could be signed by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman. The agreement would reportedly last as long as 30 years. It would allow the Saudis to enrich uranium or reprocess plutonium domestically after a joint U.S.-Saudi study of the economic implications of such a program. If accurate, the terms of the agreement would be a major departure from precedent. Previous U.S. administrations have explicitly restricted the kingdom's domestic nuclear program to prevent proliferation in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia would be required to open the enrichment sites to international inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The deal would reportedly also be a multibillion-dollar investment opportunity for the U.S. nuclear industry with American firms assisting in guidance and construction efforts.

July 21: The Washington Times: Cuba's Communist regime reportedly involved with
long-term subversion, espionage, and support for radicals in the U.S.
Cuba's communist regime has reportedly been engaged in a long-term campaign of subversion in the United States through espionage and support for radicals and leftists, including black-clad Antifa street thugs and organizers of riots in the wake of the death of George Floyd. "For nearly seven decades, the Cuban regime has waged a sustained campaign of subversion against the United States," a U.S. Department of State report says. Cuban intelligence "infiltrated the highest reaches of the U.S. government, recruited and cultivated generations of American activists, backed an unprecedented wave of left-wing terrorism on American soil, and carried out one of the most durable and damaging foreign intelligence penetrations in American history," the report contends. Based upon secret intelligence and open sources of information, Cuban operatives today are inside hundreds of front groups, activist organizations, solidarity centers and ideological non-government and nonprofit networks. "These groups collectively represent one of the single largest, most sophisticated and dangerous vectors for hostile foreign influence in modern American history," the report said.

July 21: One America News Network: New Jersey officials announce
6,600 non-citizens found on their voter rolls; estimated hundreds have voted in elections
More than 6,000 noncitizens were added to New Jersey's voter rolls through a system error, the state's officials announced. From June 2023 to the same month in 2024, 6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote through a software glitch, Governor Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) revealed on Tuesday. She explained that the people were asked on a keypad if they were a United States citizen and despite answering "no," they were placed on voter rolls. "But we want to make sure that all ineligible voters are off the rolls before our next election," she claimed. While an investigation is on-going, the governor said a preliminary analysis indicates that less than 400 actually voted. This announcement came after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Friday that DHS had sent letters to the secretaries of state in four states regarding tens of thousands of noncitizens on voter rolls. In New Jersey, DHS purported that more than 35,000 noncitizens were registered to vote. Securing the integrity of elections has been a prominent goal of the administration of President Trump.

July 21: Fox News:
Federal court rejects Biden's request to keep recordings and transcripts sealed
Former President Biden's emergency request to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with his memoir ghostwriter — materials obtained during special counsel Robert Hur's classified-documents investigation — was rejected by a federal appeals court Monday. "We conclude that any remaining incursion on personal privacy from disclosure of the now-redacted materials likely does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure," a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wrote in its ruling. The court kept an existing temporary block on disclosure in place through Aug. 3, giving Biden time to seek further review. The Justice Department obtained recordings of Biden's 2016 and 2017 conversations with Mark Zwonitzer, his ghostwriter for the memoir "Promise Me, Dad," and Hur's team prepared transcripts during its investigation into Biden's handling of classified information. Hur investigated Biden's handling of classified documents dating from his time as vice president in the Obama administration and as a U.S. senator from Delaware and declined to pursue criminal charges because he concluded Biden would appear to a jury as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." The plaintiff, the Heritage Foundation, has fought for over two years to retrieve the materials through FOIA requests, arguing the public has an interest in reviewing the recordings and transcripts that Hur based his decision on. Biden's attorneys have argued the conversations during the memoir interviews were personal and intended to remain private.

July 21: The Epoch Times: Federal government pauses Medicaid funding for California and Minnesota because of suspicious activity and potential fraud
The federal government is pausing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is withholding more than $867 million from California and more than $200 million from Minnesota. Advanced analytics, identified through financial investigation and artificial intelligence, identified suspicious activity and potential fraud, officials said. "Every dollar the federal government allows to be lost to fraud, waste, and abuse is a dollar stolen from American patients and the American taxpayer. That's money that should be going to legitimate health care," Kennedy said. "If those states want that money, they need to provide documentation that these payments are legitimate." The Democrat governors of both states failed to respond to requests for comment on the decision. About 67 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid as of March. Medicaid is administered by states, which must follow federal requirements, and is funded by both the federal government and states. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the CMS administrator, said what the federal government wants to ensure is the funds are going to "real people with real problems getting real care." He also said California's spending on support services for people at their homes increased 24% recent years, which was about twice the average across the other states. "If it smells like fraud, we're not paying for it anymore," Oz said. Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, vice chairman of the White House's Anti-Fraud Task Force, said Tuesday, the administration is also focused on sending people who commit fraud to jail, pointing to how federal prosecutors in June said they've charged 455 people, including 90 doctors and other medical professionals with licenses, with participating in health care fraud and opioid abuse operations.

July 20: Fox News:
SAVE Act passes major hurdle as part of budget reconciliation on its way to the floor
The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has faced significant headwinds in Congress despite having Trump's full-throated support. While it passed the House, the legislation has struggled in the U.S. Senate where at least several Democratic votes are needed to break a filibuster and advance to final passage. But the new plan by Johnson (R-LA) which would allow key parts of the bill to skirt Democrats entirely, is one step closer to getting a House-wide vote sometime this week. Republicans would erase the need for any Democratic buy-in by putting key elements of the SAVE America Act into a larger budget reconciliation bill. The reconciliation process allows the party in power to pass sweeping fiscal policy reforms without input from their opposition by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage to line up with the House's simple majority requirement. But there are strict guidelines for what can be in a reconciliation bill. Such legislation must deal with yearly federal spending and revenues, meaning issues that do not directly affect fiscal policy are generally excluded. House Republicans are aiming to use this reconciliation bill to fund states' election integrity efforts, replenish military funding amid the U.S. conflict with Iran, and dole out aid to American farmers.

July 20: News Max: GOP Senators considering tying SAVE Act to
continuing resolution that keeps government funded beyond September 30th
Several senators are increasingly open to tying President Trump's election integrity agenda to a government funding bill, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Democrats that could determine whether Congress avoids a shutdown before the Sept. 30 funding deadline. Meanwhile the incoming Senate Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he would support the proposal if it could pass. However, he acknowledged Democrats would likely oppose doing so. Republican strategist Brian Darling said attaching the measure to a government funding bill would force Democrats into a politically difficult position by making them choose between supporting election integrity reforms or risking a shutdown. However, not all Republicans are on board with this tactic. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who has long been a Trump opponent, warned the proposal could backfire, arguing there is not enough time to implement the reforms before the November election. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has already warned that Democrats would oppose any funding bill carrying the SAVE America Act. Meanwhile, supporters argue the SAVE America Act enjoys broad public backing, 71% in some polls. [See Related Story]

July 20: The Gateway Pundit: How the Massive Michigan Democrat Voter Registration Fraud Operation
Was Ignored, Buried, and Shut Down by Unscrupulous Biden FBI and DOJ Hacks
President Trump, in his Thursday address to the nation, brought up election fraud in Muskegon, Michigan in 2020 and Biden Administration attempts to bury it. Thanks to Michigan activists, a massive voter registration scandal was brought to light. Reportedly a left-wing outfit named GBI Strategies was attempting to fraudulently register up to 10,000 voters in a city with only 30,000 people. Apparently, the report on systemic voter fraud in the 2020 election hasn't been refuted or debunked, just ignored and buried by the legacy media. The Michigan Attorney General has ducked requests for information on the case, stating the case has been referred to the FBI for investigation. Police reports show the extent of the voter fraud effort but so far these reports [Muskegon Police | Michigan State Police] and yet so far there have been no prosecutions. Reportedly the information was deliberately buried at numerous levels of the Assistant U.S. Attorney's office, the FBI, and the DOJ Public Integrity section under the previous administration.

July 19: The Daily Caller:
House must hustle if they want to pass key legislative measures before the August Recess
The House GOP will have to rush to enact key parts of its legislative agenda if it wants to pass them before the beginning of the August recess. Republicans are moving to pass a third reconciliation bill, a stock trading ban, a continuing resolution (CR), defense and appropriations bills and more before their four-week long recess. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed optimism that the $95 billion reconciliation package can pass before the recess, though Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) responded, as he frequently does, with skepticism. When Johnson said both chambers would get it through by the recess, Thune told reporters it's "news to me." The package was expected to reach the House in the coming days, though it is unclear when the Senate would hold a vote. The package would first be sent to the Senate Budget Committee. Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson the anticipated new Budget Committee Chairman would need to move expeditiously in order to get it to the Senate floor. Then it would need to pass muster with the parliamentarian – who was appointed by Harry Reid (D-NV) and who Thune refuses to fire.

July 19: The Washington Times:
Ukraine asks for more patriot missile batteries after Russian attack
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy pleaded for more U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors Sunday after a Russian missile-and-drone attack on Kyiv left at least six Ukrainians dead and dozens wounded. Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 40 missiles and 120 drones in the attack, which reportedly sparked fires in five districts across the Ukrainian capital city. It's the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive assaults by Russia against Kyiv and other key cities in Ukraine, as the Kremlin seeks to use Ukraine's dwindling missile-defense capabilities as leverage to extract concessions and a highly favorable deal from Zelenskyy's government. Over the past week, Russia fired more than 1,400 drones and nearly 100 missiles at Ukraine,. Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian forces are highly effective at repelling drone attacks, but Russian ballistic missiles now pose the most serious problem. "Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now. Interceptors are needed every day, and I am grateful to everyone who takes our agreements seriously and ensures the delivery of anti-ballistic capabilities," Zelenskyy said. "Right now, these packages are literally saving lives during every massive Russian attack." The Patriot missile interceptors are a key defensive capability for many nations. U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf rely heavily on Patriots to stop Iranian ballistic missile attacks, as do American military bases in those nations.

July 18: The Epoch Times: Reports/documents show Chinese reportedly
paid reporters to publish negative stories about the Trump Administration
President Trump released newly declassified documents this week related to foreign influence in U.S. elections, while others appear to demonstrate the prior administration's attempts to downplay connections in intelligence reports. The files, some of which are heavily redacted, were released on a new White House election integrity page, with subsections for China's acquisition and exploitation of American voter data, vulnerabilities in electronic voting and ballot counting systems, the Michigan voter registration investigation, and non-citizens on state voter rolls. Among other election-related challenges revealed, intelligence analysts reported the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was targeting top U.S. officials, acquiring hundreds of millions of Americans' personal information, and attempting to sway public opinion, including reportedly paying U.S. "journalists" to publish negative stories about the President. The data from the FBI and the National Security Agency, the Chinese Communist Party suggest China was targeting "personal e-mail accounts of senior U.S. leadership, including officials in the Executive Office of the President and high-ranking officials in multiple Executive Branch organizations, Congress, and the federal judiciary." A separate National Intelligence Council report found that "Beijing has expanded its cyber collection of data related to the 2020 US elections by carrying out opportunistic intrusions against US private-sector entities in efforts to collect information on US political candidates, campaigns, donors, and voter data."

July 18: Fox News: Leaked report about Iranian public anger with the regime and support or regime change
A confidential report prepared for Iran's presidency is raising a consequential question for Washington and its allies: Do extraordinary levels of public anger and support for systemic change justify reassessing whether the Islamic Republic may be more vulnerable to regime change than previously believed? The classified document, titled "What Iran Wants," reportedly found that only 9% of respondents supported maintaining the status quo, with 53% calling for a fundamental or structural reforms and more than 19% favoring changing the political system outright. [53+19=72%] Taken together, nearly three-quarters of those surveyed reportedly supported either deep structural reform or replacement of the existing system — findings that could strengthen arguments that Iran's political crisis has moved beyond dissatisfaction with individual leaders or policies.

July 18: News Max:
Chevron exploring building an oil pipeline away from Hormuz in joint effort with Iraq
Chevron plans to sign preliminary accords with Iraq Friday, advancing its bid to develop two major southern oil fields and join a U.S.-led consortium studying a pipeline that would route Iraqi crude to Syria's Mediterranean coast, sidestepping the Strait of Hormuz. The moves come as Baghdad, its Gulf exports throttled by the Iran war, scrambles for durable alternatives to the Hormuz chokepoint. The nonbinding agreements underscore Chevron's push toward commercial contracts on the West Qurna-2 and Nasiriyah fields, a senior company executive said. West Qurna-2, one of Iraq's largest producing assets, holds an estimated 14 billion barrels in recoverable reserves and was pumping roughly 460,000 barrels a day before Baghdad cut production during the Hormuz shutdown. The company also secured exclusive negotiating rights for West Qurna-2 after Iraq removed Russia's Lukoil as the operator and returned the project to state control this year. Iraq's cabinet earlier this month approved a preliminary agreement authorizing Basra Oil Company to work with a consortium of Chevron, U.S.-based Capital TI, and Qatar's UCC Holding to conduct feasibility studies for routes, including Basra-Haditha-Kirkuk-Ceyhan and Basra-Haditha-Baniyas.

July 17: The Washington Times:
DHS; More than 190,000 noncitizens may be on California's voter rolls
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is releasing more data behind President Trump's claims of voter rolls littered with noncitizens, saying its own review found more than 190,000 suspect names in California and 35,000 in New Jersey. It also identified nearly 16,000 names in Nevada and almost 15,000 in Pennsylvania that its review flagged as possible noncitizens. Secretary Mullin sent letters to the secretaries of state in each of them, giving them a two-week deadline to work with him on plans to cleanse their lists. "Election security is national security," he said Friday. "Only Americans should be electing American leaders." Mullin was putting meat on the bones of President Trump's primetime speech Thursday, when he revealed the broad outlines of DHS' new estimates. The department said it identified the potential noncitizens through a review of the four states' public voter lists. Some 25 other states have worked with DHS, running their own voter lists through a department system for verifying citizenship and legal status. DHS says those 25 states have identified 28,000 potential noncitizens on their rolls, as well as more than 400,000 names of dead people. Texas ran its file and identified 2,296 noncitizens out of more than 18 million registered voters, or 1 in every 10,000.

July 17: One America News Network:
Trump gives primetime address on election integrity, legacy media chose not to cover it
President Trump delivered a prime-time address focused on election security, declaring that "no trust" means "no greatness" for the United States and arguing that confidence in the integrity of elections is essential to the nation's future. Thursday, Trump revealed that he was declassifying and releasing "critical intelligence" documents which contained "shocking vulnerabilities" in U.S. elections. The president stated that China obtained more than 220 million U.S. voter records in an effort to influence the 2020 election and that U.S. intelligence officials were aware of activity involving voter registration data in 18 states, but chose not to inform him, Congress or the public. "Those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information secret and hidden," he said. "They did not disclose (it) to me as president or to anyone else." The President stated that one group of documents being declassified indicated "United States adversaries, including, at a minimum, Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, as well as non-state groups have the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure." He also revealed he has tasked FBI Director Kash Patel to reopen and fully look into his agency's 2020 investigation into a Michigan voter registration drive, stating that canvassers in the Muskegon area had allegedly admitted to signing voter registration forms using other people's names, submitting fraudulent registrations for nonexistent voters and receiving gift cards based on the number of applications they submitted. Additionally, he asserted that a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) review identified approximately 278,000 illegal aliens registered to vote in U.S. federal elections. In response to the DHS's findings, Trump announced that his administration will notify states in order to remove these ineligible individuals from voter rolls. [See Related Story]

July 17: The New York Post:
U.S. attacks road and rail bridges in attempt to shut down port of Bandar Abbas
U.S. forces sought to cut off the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas early Friday, striking road and rail bridges as the Trump administration stepped up efforts to ease Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz. The airstrikes also dramatically toppled a surveillance tower in Iran's southernmost city of Chabahar, located on a key trade route for landlocked, neighboring Afghanistan. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) called the structure "part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran's Gulf of Oman coastline used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. "The destruction of the tower directly degrades IRGC's ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members," the Tampa, Fla.-based combat command said. "Furthermore, the strike protects freedom of navigation in regional waters for all vessels, except for ships attempting to violate the ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran." While other routes to and from Bandar Abbas still are open, the US strikes could expand further, potentially disrupting both the movement of military materiel and goods for Iran's 90 million people. Chabahar port, which Iran had been running with support from India, has been a repeated target of American airstrikes.

July 16: Fox News:
Arizonia Senator accused of sexual relationship with two Democrat house staffers
The New York Post has reported Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) engaged in sexual relationships with at least two Democratic House staffers who did not work for him while he was a member of the House. According to House rules, members are not barred from having relationships with staffers who work outside their office. Sources told the outlet it was believed the relationships happened while the lawmaker was unmarried. It's the latest bad headline to hit Gallego, who has been considering a 2028 presidential bid. The Post reported that Gallego admitted to the two relationships, which were both with aides to Democrats from Texas .Gallego has come under scrutiny for his relationship with former Congressman Eric Swalell who resigned from the House earlier this year after being accused by several women of sexual assault, rape and harassment. Gallego moved to quickly distance himself from Swalwell and argued their tight-knit relationship "clouded my judgment," regarding rumors that swirled about the ex-lawmaker for years in Washington, D.C.

July 16: News Max: Majority Leader Thune;
Graham may have had a path for passage of the SAVE Act before his passing
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Republicans are exploring whether parts of the SAVE America Act could be advanced through the budget reconciliation process, a strategy he suggested may have been what late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) discussed with President Trump before his death. Thune said he believes Graham, who chaired the Senate Budget Committee, may have been referring to reconciliation when he told Trump the GOP was "all set" on the SAVE America Act during what Trump has said was their final phone conversation. The SAVE America Act, Trump's top domestic legislative priority this year, would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and include other election-related reforms. However, Republicans have repeatedly failed to advance the measure due to Democrat opposition. Thune stressed that Republicans are nowhere near the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democrat filibuster and have no realistic path to winning Democrat support for the legislation. Instead, he said Republicans are examining whether portions of the measure could qualify under Senate budget reconciliation rules, which allow certain fiscal legislation to pass with a simple majority. "It's got to be principally budgetary, not policy-oriented. And if the budgetary impact is incidental to the policy impact, then it's usually ruled a violation," Thune said, referring to Senate rules enforced by the parliamentarian. "I'm not denying there's some level of subjectivity." He pointed to one proposal that could potentially qualify by tying election measures to federal spending. "Figuring out a way to incentivize states to pass or to implement photo ID in their states through financial incentives is something that's been talked about as a possible reconciliation option," Thune said. "How you design or structure it matters a lot." Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the House Budget Committee unveiled a budget resolution that would begin the reconciliation process for a $95 billion package that includes $60 billion for defense, $13 billion for intelligence, $12 billion in farm aid, and $10 billion in grants aimed at advancing elements of the SAVE America Act. [See Related story]

July 16: The Washington Times:
Two millennials who want to end capitalism in the U.S. have grown into one of the most powerful forces in the Democrat Party
Led by two millennials with a vision of an empowered working class and an end to capitalism in the U.S., the Democratic Socialists of America have grown into one of the most powerful grassroots forces in the Democrat party. Megan Romer and Ashik Siddique, the DSA national co-chairs, came to socialism as part of a generational wave of young left-wing activists frustrated with a Democrat Party they see as dominated by big money donors and drifting away from working class struggles. Romer, 43, believes the movement is about seizing power from corporate and political elites she calls "bosses." "Power only cedes itself to a greater degree of power," she said at the DSA's convention last year. "We win by making conditions so intolerable for the ruling class that they would rather give in to our demands than continue to live with the disturbance we cause, until we are able to fully seize power ourselves." She describes herself online as a "socialist with Presbyterian characteristics." In the DSA, members call one another "comrade" and rally around a platform that calls for free migration across borders, abolishing prisons, the Electoral College and the U.S. Senate. They would replace the presidency with something closer to a prime minister. "We don't think that's extreme," Siddique said this week. "We want to transfer power from the 1% to the working class, and to replace capitalism with socialism." Sound similar to the communist manifesto which was tried in Russia and didn't bring freedom to anybody but the rich, something that is the opposite of Siddique's plan to "shift power from the ruling class to working-class people." It's also a plan for economic disaster.

July 15: The Post Newspaper:
Continuing the dialogue on the Supreme
Court ruling on Birthright Citizenship
Five justices found President Trump's executive order "unconstitutional" and one found it violated federal law but wasn't unconstitutional. Legal experts say that if the Congress had taken the same action, it would most likely have been found to be constitutional. They cite an act passed in 1924 allowing Amirian Indians to become U.S. citizens by birth as a precedent. So, Congress could pass legislation saying that - Only children born to U.S. citizens or born to non-citizens who have been legally in the United States or its territories for a minimum of eight contiguous years, - who have allegiance to the United States and - who haven't committed a felony are eligible for U.S. citizenship and constitutional scholars and experts believe it would pass muster in the SCOTUS.

July 15: The Epoch Times: House releases Reconciliation 3.0 plan
House Republicans released a budget blueprint on July 15 to pass a third bill that would bypass the Senate filibuster. The budget resolution calls for allocating $95 billion for defense, farm aid, and state efforts to implement voter ID requirements in elections. This includes $73 billion for defense and intelligence amid the Iran war, $10 billion for election integrity efforts, and $12 billion in farm aid. Both the House and Senate must pass identical resolutions to unlock the reconciliation process, which allows bills related to taxing, spending, and the national debt to pass with a simple majority. Fifty-one votes are also needed to pass a budget resolution. The House Budget Committee is scheduled to mark up the resolution on July 16. When the full House will vote on the legislation, if it comes out of the committee, is to be determined. Instructions in the budget resolution call for the House Armed Services Committee, the House Administration Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, and the House Agriculture Committee to work on the bill. The resolution does not have "pay-fors," or funding sources for increased costs, which could be an issue for fiscal hawks. President Donald Trump has asked Republicans to make a third reconciliation bill their top responsibility.

July 15: The Washington Times:
Democrat-Socialists platform: Eliminate the U.S. Senate and abolish ICE
The Democratic Socialists of America have released an updated platform that calls for a sweeping remake of the political system — including eliminating the U.S. Senate — and, for the first time, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The platform says the country's political institutions must be rebuilt from the ground up, arguing it's time to scrap the Senate, eliminate the Electoral College and replace the presidency with a prime minister style executive chosen by Congress — changes the socialists argue would curb concentrated power in Washington and create a more democratic system. Of course, in order to do this means throwing out the U.S. Constitution as we know it and several candidates in the Democrat party call themselves Democratic Socialists. The revised "Workers Deserve More" platform comes as DSA's membership continues to soar and its candidates secure high profile primary victories, rattling the Democrat establishment, which the "comrades" at DSA have deemed asleep at the wheel.

July 14: News Max:
Trump; may replace Gulf shipping tax with major investment agreements in the U.S.A.
– somebody's got to pay the cost for U.S. military protection in the Strait of Hormuz
President Trump said Tuesday he is considering replacing a proposed U.S. reimbursement fee on Gulf shipping with major trade and investment agreements from Middle Eastern allies, arguing the deals will create millions of American jobs while keeping pressure on Iran. He said he reached this decision after what he described as a "highly productive conversations" with Gulf leaders. "Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States," Trump said. The massive investments would bring factories, manufacturing plants and equipment to the U.S. while creating "additional millions of High Paying American Jobs." Trump's announcement marked a shift from his Monday proposal to charge a 20% reimbursement fee on commercial shipping using the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. military reimposed a blockade targeting Iran. The president said the United States will continue enforcing a full blockade on ships traveling to or from Iranian ports or carrying Iranian cargo, while allowing all other commercial traffic to move freely through the strategic waterway.

July 14: The New York Post:
Trump: U.S. will pummel Iran until it says it's enough; energy targets may be next
President Trump Tuesday warned the U.S. will pummel Iran until "I say it's enough" and that "energy targets" are next in his ramped-up war effort. "I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets," Trump said. "We're going to hit them very hard tonight. We're going to hit them very hard tomorrow night. We're going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants," Trump said.

July 13: Associated Press(Published by News Max):
Trump: Blockade of Iran back on in response to attacks on commercial merchant vessels
President Trump said Monday the United States is "reinstating" a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and may charge ships for safe passage protected by the U.S. military forces. He said that Iranian ships will no longer be able to travel through the strait and America could charge a 20% toll on eligible cargo, as the conflict with Iran has intensified after peace talks failed to deliver meaningful progress. The president is only targeting shipping to and from Iranian ports. "All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait," Trump said. The latest exchange of fire was sparked by an Iranian attack on a container ship Sunday in the Strait. The U.S. military said it struck dozens of sites in the strikes Monday, including air defense systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment, and small boats. It said Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. The European Union's top diplomat called for the strait to be open, as it was before the war. "Freedom of navigation has to be respected," she said. Meanwhile Mohammed Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, wrote that Tehran would fight for the strait. Meanwhile, Iran is not making friends in the region as it continues to lob missiles and drones against its neighbors.

July 13: The Gateway pundit:
U.S. uses "sea drones" to strike Iranian submarine, Poof, Gone!
On Monday CENTCOM released unclassified footage of the first time the U.S. military has used sea drones to strike an Iranian submarine. CENTCOM said in a statement: "Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations. Last night's strikes degraded Iran's ability to continue attacking commercial shipping." Last week US forces struck90 Iranian military targets as Trump declared the ceasefire over. Trump told reporters last Wednesday, while meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the US is going to strike Iran again after a wave of strikes last Tuesday. U.S. Forces resumed a Naval blockade against Iran Monday. "CENTCOM forces will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas. The U.S. military continues to support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade," the US Military said.

July 13: The New York Post:
Millionaires flee New York in droves; major financial impact
New York's share of U.S. millionaires dramatically declined in recent years, causing a nearly $11 billion loss in much-needed tax revenue in just one year, according to a bombshell new analysis. The study released Monday by the Citizen Budget Commission comes amid fears that socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani's pushed to "tax the rich" will drive even more wealthy taxpayers and their businesses out of New York City. Even before Mamdani took office, the Empire State's share of the nation's millionaires dipped from 12.7% to 8.7% between 2010 and 2022 – the largest decline of any state. "New York's declining share of high-income taxpayers has meaningful consequences," analyses show. "Had New York maintained its share of the nation's millionaires over the past decade, personal income tax collections would have been substantially higher – roughly $10.7 billion more in tax year 2022." Many experts and business leaders warned Mamdani's stick-it-to-the-rich policy dreams – and their growing success among Albany lawmakers – could supercharge the drip-drip of wealthy people. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has firmly opposed an outright tax hike on the wealthy this year — as she seeks re-election in November — but backed a so-called pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes in New York City. Mamdani gleefully gloated about the tax in a social media video filmed outside billionaire Ken Griffin's $238 million Manhattan penthouse – a stunt that prompted the hedge fund titan to threaten pulling a $6 billion Park Avenue development. The feud fueled fears of a wider exodus from New York, where the Big Apple's and the state's bloated budgets are increasingly dependent on a shrinking revenues from these taxpayers.

July 12: News Max:
South Carolina Senator Graham passes after quick illness
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of President Donald Trump's closest allies in Congress and a leading advocate for a robust U.S. foreign policy who traveled extensively to support American allies abroad, died Saturday evening after a "brief and sudden illness," his office said in a statement. He was 71. His office did not provide additional details about the South Carolina Republican's death and said his family "appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period." President Trump said Graham was "like a member of the family. It's very tough." The president said Graham called him on Saturday night after returning from a trip to Ukraine. "He sounded a little bit tired, but perfect," he said. First elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives, Graham, a former Air Force lawyer and Air Force Reserve officer, built a reputation as one of Congress' leading national security hawks. Throughout his Senate career, he championed a strong U.S. military, close alliances with democratic nations and an assertive American role overseas.

July 12: Fox News:
What's next in process to fill senate seat vacated by death of Senator Graham
Reportedly the process for replacing Senator Graham is for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, to appoint a replacement on a temporary basis. McMaster, a close ally of Trump, can appoint a temporary replacement as soon as he wants. That pick will serve until the next special or general election. Graham was already in-cycle running for a fifth term in the upper chamber, and he easily cruised to a primary victory early last month. That means that whoever McMaster taps would serve until the end of the year to finish off the remainder of Graham's fourth term. Meanwhile, a new candidate will need to be selected to replace Graham on the November ballot. A Special Election will need to be held. The candidate filing period for that election to win the GOP nomination opens July 21. The election is slated for Aug. 11, according to South Carolina law. That race could see several familiar faces in South Carolina GOP politics jumping in, including McMaster himself, who is term limited as governor.

July 12: The Washington Times: CENTCOM: Strait of Hormuz open
despite attacks on commercial shipping by radical Iranian forces
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday the Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to "lawfully transit" and insisted that Iran does not control the waterway, despite recent strikes on commercial ships. CENTCOM, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said its "forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression." "Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing," CENTCOM said. President Trump followed up CENTCOM's comments later Sunday, saying the strait is open for commercial traffic. He added that Tehran agreed to a peace deal that included "no nuclear, no this, no that, no nothing," after the U.S. military attacked Iran overnight. The comments contradict statements from Iranian authorities about the status of the Strait. Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Tehran established during the war with the U.S., said Sunday that the waterway is closed due to "illegal movements" by the U.S. military. Iran has ramped up attacks on commercial vessels attempting to travel through the strait in recent days, especially those moving in Omani waters.

July 12: The Gateway Pundit:
Leftwing Democrat Congressman detained in Israel after violating their law
Far-left Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), is throwing a massive temper tantrum after he reportedly violated Israeli laws and it blew up in his face. Khanna allegedly tried to sneak into a restricted military zone in the West Bank without proper coordination to stage an anti-Israel photo-op. But instead of getting the headlines he wanted, he was detained by Israeli authorities. His intention was to get footage of Israeli settlers blocking the road to their community, something they do to protect against relentless terrorist threats, Khanna was arrested by IDF soldiers. Khanna claims they "sided with the settlers," showed "arrogance," and had "no respect" for the fact that an American congressman was present. Of course, he neglected to consider that he was in a foreign country and should obey that nation's laws. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday "We're a country of laws, and people who break the law, we take them to court. In the West Bank, in Judea and Samaria, we've had thousands, thousands of attempted attacks and warnings against terrorist activities against innocent Israelis, families, mothers with their children driving along the road. … Israel, unlike our neighbors, is a democracy and a country of law, and we act against those who break the law."

July 11: The New York Post:
"Select" number of Maine delegates to determine the Democrat nominee for Senate
Graham Platner formally filed to withdraw from the race on Friday after a scandal-plagued campaign. Maine Democrats announced it will hold its convention July 25 to pick a new nominee for that senate seat. The question is what are the 154,058 Democrat voters (71.9% of those voting in the Maine Democrat primary) will do now that their candidate has been forced out of the race and a much smaller number of "select" delegates will determine who his replacement will be. Some party members aren't waiting until a new name emerges from the ashes of the accused rapist's campaign. Prominent lefties in Congress are already raising money — claiming the fate of the entire party is at stake. "Our path to flipping the Senate runs directly through Maine. If we flip Maine, we flip the Senate," Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) wrote in a desperate fundraising email Friday. "But if Susan Collins wins, Trump gets two more years of unchecked power," she pleaded, asking her base in New York to send $100,000 for an "emergency fund" for Maine by midnight. "If we don't flip this seat, our hopes of flipping the Senate are crushed," added Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The early fundraising pitch is also a way for Maine Democrats get a campaign war chest going before they have a new candidate who might not be all that appealing. Many of those putting their hat in the ring are considered losers.

July 11: The Washington Examiner: Israel becomes Democrats' abortion-style litmus test
From Michigan to Maine Democratic candidates are increasingly being forced to define themselves by their positions on Israel and the war in Gaza, as the issue begins to resemble the role abortion once played in Republican primaries: a litmus test for ideological identity. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion quickly became a defining litmus test in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. The issue was seen as a key measure of conservative ideological credibility. Now, as Democrats grapple with deepening divisions over Israel and the war in Gaza, many strategists argue the issue is taking on a similar role inside their party. Others contend the comparison goes too far, arguing Israel remains a defining issue only in certain Democrat primaries rather than across the party.

July 11: The Daily Caller:
Federal funding for Planned Parenthood, et. al. pulled because of sexually explicit content given to children
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cut off large amounts of federal funding to Planned Parenthood and similar organizations after they were caught pushing sexually explicit content on children. According to the Daily Signal, HHS nnotified dozens of organizations, including multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates, that their federal grants were being terminated. The rationale centers on the groups' promotion of sexually explicit materials to children under the guise of education or prevention programs. The Daily Signal reports HHS Friday notified more than 50 organizations, including Planned Parenthood affiliates, university systems, and other non-profits they will no longer receive teen pregnancy prevention grants after pushing "sexually explicit" content on kids.

July 10: Fox News:
Trump; If I am assassinated by the Iranians, look out for our response
President Trump said he has left behind instructions to strike Iran should Tehran succeed in its attempts to assassinate him. "I've been on their list for a long time. That's what we're dealing with," Trump said Friday. "… The only thing is, I've left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they've never seen before." Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate after Trump called off a ceasefire after Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz this week. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks,'" Trump wrote Friday. "We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER! Thank you for your attention to this matter."

July 10: News Max:
U.S. naval armada redirected toward Iran as Trump considers reinstating the blockade
The United States is redirecting a naval armada, including two aircraft carriers and more than 20 warships, toward Iran as President Trump weighs reinstating a blockade on Iranian ports following the collapse of a ceasefire with Tehran. The report said maritime trackers spotted the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush entering the Gulf of Oman, a move military analysts said is consistent with preparations for a renewed blockade and increased operations around the Strait of Hormuz. The two carrier strike groups have moved into waters within range of Iranian missiles, increasing the potential risk to the vessels as tensions escalate. The military buildup follows Trump's decision this week to end the U.S.-Iran ceasefire after Tehran allegedly attacked three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and Tuesday. The Trump administration responded by revoking Iran's waiver to sell oil and launching two days of strikes against Iranian coastal targets, according to reports. The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical flashpoint because roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply moves through the narrow waterway, making any disruption a potential threat to global energy markets. At the same time, diplomatic efforts continue as both sides seek to avoid a wider conflict.

July 10: The Gateway Pundit: Kash Patel; MS Now is peddling fake news
FBI Director Kash Patel dunked on MS NOW for peddling a fake news story about having to cancel a trip to see his girlfriend play at a music festival. FBI Director Kash Patel cancelled a planned flight Friday to see his girlfriend in Chicago this weekend, after top administration officials summoned him to the White House.

July 9: One America News Network:
Trump to ask SCOTUS for rehearing of Birthright Citizenship case
President Donald Trump announced he will be asking the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) for a rehearing of the birthright citizenship case. In a ruling handed down at the end of June the Court found that children born in the U.S. are "subject to the jurisdiction" thereof, even if their parents were unlawfully or temporarily present in the country. Trump has been critical of the court ruling and said Wednesday he will seek the rehearing. In doing so he pointed to the practice of "birth tourism," traveling to a country specifically to give birth and gain citizenship for the baby, perhaps referring to the recent case in Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) launched an investigation into a hospital accused of advertising "birth packages" on billboards in Mexico that allegedly encouraged foreign nationals to have their children in Texas in order to gain U.S. citizenship. Reportedly the billboards offered "Deliveries starting at $4000." Likewise, Trump pointed out there are "signs going up all over our Country. Billions of Dollars will be illegally made by this SCAM, with Citizenship going to anyone willing to pay," he contended. "It will be, by far, the number one way of becoming a citizen, and then the entire family will be allowed to follow. Not sustainable," Trump concluded. [See Related Story]

July 9: The Gateway Pundit: Europe unable to keep up with armament demands; decides to buy from the U.S.
Europe is experiencing a rearming frenzy, but their factories can't keep up with the demand. With Germany's industry slowing down because of energy costs and environmental hurdles, the Deutschlanders have to resort to the obvious solution: buy U.S. weapons. In the aftermath of the NATO summit in Turkey, Germany has closed a deal to purchase US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, their Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced. The agreement focuses on the long-range missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory. The purchase is meant to close an important gap in Germany's defense requirements while they work to develop their own European systems and station them in Europe. The Tomahawk cruise missile has been in the U.S. military's inventory since the 1980s. It is slow by missile standards but it flies around 100 feet off the ground, making it harder to detect by defense systems. Its range is around 1,000 miles and has precision guidance systems that make it the go-to weapon for striking targets that are deep inland or in hostile territory."

July 9: Reuters(published by News Max):
Maersk to resume Red Sea/Suez routes
Maersk shipping lines said Thursday it would resume sailing ‌its Middle East-to-U.S. East Coast service through the Suez ⁠Canal, as the Danish shipping group takes another step toward ⁠restoring routes through the Red Sea. The company said westbound ‌transit times would improve by an average ‌of seven days, while ‌eastbound sailings would be up to 14 days faster. "The ⁠route through ‌the Suez ⁠and the Red Sea ⁠is ⁠the fastest, most sustainable and most ‌efficient way to serve customers with transport between India, Middle ‌East and ‌the U.S. East Coast," the company said in a statement. This announcement comes as experts report that Persian Gulf oil producing nations are constructing pipelines to Red Sea ports in an effort to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and the radicals in Iran who seem to be attacking shipping indiscriminately.


July 9: The Gateway Pundit:
Police in Fort Worth, TX reportedly attempt to "punish" free speech rights of street preachers
The left's war on Christianity and the First Amendment has reportedly reached a terrifying new flashpoint in the Lone Star State last month. The encounter has sparked renewed debate over the First Amendment and whether law enforcement can lawfully "punish" constitutionally protected speech simply because another person finds it offensive. According to a video from the June 27 Trinity Pride Fest in downtown Fort Worth, Christian street preachers David Grisham, a retired police officer, and Richard Penkoski were preaching on public property when they were approached by officers. Police had set up barricades restricting access to public streets and sidewalks around the event. Officers moved the preachers farther away and issued warnings. The female officer told the group, "If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem," and added, "If they are offended by your speech, OK, I will write you a ticket." When challenged further, she added that the citation would be for disorderly conduct. The preachers repeatedly argued that offensive speech is protected by the First Amendment and cannot be criminalized merely because someone claims to be offended.

July 9: News Max:
Israel reportedly shared intelligence about assassination attempt on Donald Trump
Israel shared intelligence with the United States, warning that Iran had allegedly developed a new plot to assassinate President Trump. The report in the Wall Street Journal said Israeli officials provided the information to U.S. officials as tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified following renewed military strikes and threats between the two countries. The alleged plot would mark another escalation in Iran's long-running threats against Trump, who has been a target of Iranian anger since the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force. Trump addressed the dangers he faces while speaking with reporters Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey, saying he believes Iran's leadership wants him eliminated because of his actions against the regime. The president also reflected on the personal risks that come with confronting Iran, acknowledging that his decisions have placed him in danger but saying he remains focused on his goals. Trump has repeatedly said his top priority in dealing with Iran is preventing the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

July 9: The Galveston County Daily News:
SCOTUS may have got it right, but left us with a mess!
The Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling on birthright citizenship assumes that if a woman gives birth in America, she's "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." They seem to have forgotten or disregarded the parents are here illegally. Here's an analogy. If parents who are in the country illegally rob a bank and give the money to their child, can the child keep the money? Using the same logic used by the Court, the child could keep the money. Illegal activity shouldn't allow benefits – in this case U.S. citizenship – to flow their children. But the Court probably got it right that a president cannot determine this by executive order, but should be done legislatively by the Congress. But with the Congressional leadership we now have in the U.S. Senate, it's highly unlikely the Congress has the willingness to take the high ground and pass such a measure.

July 8: The Gateway Pundit:
NATO allies concerned; Trump uses summit in Turkey to reaffirm U.S. desire to acquire Greenland
NATO allies were left "trembling" as Trump used the Ankara summit to reaffirm the US's claims over Greenland. Whoever thought that the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, would be a chance to mend the rifts and promote unity may be very disappointed. Trump arrived in Turkey with all his known concerns: allies not carrying their load defense spending, and their lack of cooperation during the war in Iran were inevitable issues. These were causing major tensions among NATO allies, while they also realized that without the United States, they would be unable to defend themselves against aggression from the east (Russia in particular). Meanwhile, Trump asserted again that the U.S. needs to acquire control of Greenland in order to assure an adequate defense for North America. This has caused strained relations between Washington and Copenhagen (which currently has jurisdiction over the island's semi-autonomous territory). "Trump said the issue ⁠of control over Greenland had harmed U.S. ties with NATO," claiming it is surrounded by China and Russian ships and Denmark isn't taking meaningful actions to protect it or allied nations in North America. The Telegraph claims it would cost the United States around $700 billion to purchase the Island, but that Denmark is saying it's not for sale. In addition to the defense considerations, Trump is also eyeing control of the minerals, many of which are strategic in the productions of weapons should access from the Communist Chinese be cut off.
[See Related Story]

July 8: News Max:
Trump to ask SCOTUS to rehear its recent birthright citizenship decision
President Trump said Wednesday he will ask the Supreme Court to rehear its recent decision striking down his executive order seeking to redefine birthright citizenship. In a 5-4 last month, the court held that children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily are U.S. citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment. Supreme Court rehearings are exceedingly rare but under the court's Rule 44, a petition for rehearing generally must be filed within 25 days of the judgment and is intended to address exceptional circumstances, including significant legal or factual issues the court might have overlooked. The court grants few such petitions, and a rehearing cannot be ordered unless a justice who joined the majority supports it. "American citizenship is worth so much more than a cheap plane ticket or a last-minute border crossing," White House press secretary Jackson said. "The American people can rest assured that President Trump isn't giving up on this any time soon." The Administration believes the Court "fundamentally misinterpreted" the intent of the Fourteenth Amendment, arguing it was never designed to automatically grant citizenship to children born to foreign nationals who enter the country illegally or temporarily. They also point to highway signs being posted on the U.S.-Mexico border aimed at soliciting "birth vacations." The administration pointed to signs advertising birthright citizenship were being posted along the U.S.-Mexico border and in Mexico – "Deliveries starting at $4000." [See Related Story]

July 8: One America News Network:
Former LA mayoral candidate takes legal action against city over 2025 wildfires
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt reportedly met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office this week, shortly after making an announcement regarding legal action over the devastating 2025 California wildfires. Pratt announced he is teaming up with an unexpected ally to challenge the Democrat leadership of Los Angeles. He said he is joining forces with Kenneth Bass — the brother of current Los Angeles Democrat Mayor Karen Bass — in a joint lawsuit targeting the city's government. The legal action highlights gross and reckless municipal negligence concerning the response to the January 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfire, a historic disaster that destroyed thousands of homes across the region, including the residence of Pratt and his family. Both men lost their homes in the same disaster and joined a collective lawsuit alongside other local property owners targeting the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power (DWP). The lawsuit argues that the city and the utility provider failed to manage infrastructure and emergency protocols properly, which directly led to the catastrophic fire, the LA Times reported.

July 7: The Gateway Pundit:
Florida judge overturns decision that would deny states access to federal citizenship data
A scheme to flood American elections with illegal non-citizen voters just hit a massive brick wall in Florida. A federal judge in Florida has overruled a highly controversial order by a far-left, foreign-born activist judge in Washington D.C., officially reinstating President Trump's election security system. The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system upgrades, which allow states to instantly screen voter rolls and purge illegal aliens, is back online after the federal judge in Florida made his ruling. Last March, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at preserving and protecting the integrity of U.S. elections. The SAVE system allows states to download data, including names and social security numbers in order to check them against local voter rolls. If there is not a match, then further investigation is required to determine whether a person is a U.S. citizen before proceeding to register the person to vote. There was a settlement agreement, approved by the federal judge in Florida, that allowed access to the SAVE database by states using it to verify voter citizenship.

July 7: Fox News:
U.S. hits Iran hard after attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
A U.S. official said the strikes against Iran are a "direct result" of what they described as "acts of international terrorism" against "innocent ships" transiting the Strait of Hormuz. "This response is a direct result of the acts of international terrorism that have been perpetrated by Iran on innocent ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz," the official said. "The Iranians know the consequences to their ridiculous actions, yet they still chose to carry out these attacks." The strikes inside Iran remain ongoing, with targets including air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missile sites, anti-ship cruise missile sites, drone launch sites and port facilities. They are "significantly larger" than those carried out last month and are intended to "send a signal" that attacks on unarmed commercial shipping are unacceptable," the official said.

July 7: One America News Network:
Communist China launches long-range missile from submarine; ignites protests from regional neighbors
China conducted an unprecedented test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean, igniting widespread concern from neighboring countries, which said the launch undermined regional trust and destabilized the region. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy submarine "launched a strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead toward relevant high seas of the Pacific Ocean, which landed precisely within the designated waters," according to Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the PLA Navy. However, the missile entered the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, drawing protests from regional powers like Australia and New Zealand, as well as Japan. Officials in Wellington and Canberra later confirmed they had received a last-minute warning before the launch. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said, "New Zealand considers this an unwelcome and concerning development. We, like our neighbors in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability." He also said neighboring countries "should not sit by and allow such tests to become normalized or routine." China was a signatory to the Treaty of Rarotonga's protocols since 1987, which explicitly bans nuclear testing (Protocol III) and prohibits the use or threat of nuclear weapons against zone territories (Protocol II).

July 6: News Max:
Trump administration tightening the processing of citizenship through marriage
Foreign nationals seeking U.S. citizenship through marriage to an American citizen are facing heightened scrutiny and longer waits under immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration, even as marriage reportedly remains one of the most common pathways to lawful permanent residency and eventual naturalization. U.S. law still allows citizens to sponsor foreign-born spouses for green cards and, later, citizenship, immigration attorneys are saying recent policy changes have made the process more difficult by expanding background checks, increasing interviews, and exposing some applicants to possible deportation while their cases remain pending. Meanwhile Administration officials say the changes are intended to strengthen enforcement and prevent fraud rather than alter the underlying law. "Our enhanced screening and vetting processes help identify fraud, public safety and national security concerns before immigration benefits are granted," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Zach Kahler said. Marriage to a U.S. citizen has long provided one of the fastest routes to permanent residency because spouses are classified as "immediate relatives," making them exempt from annual visa caps that apply to many other family-sponsored immigrants. After obtaining a green card, most spouses may apply for U.S. citizenship after three years if they remain married to and living with the U.S. citizen spouse and meet other eligibility requirements, including continuous residence, physical presence, English-language proficiency, and passing a civics test. Couples must demonstrate their marriage is legitimate and was not entered into solely for immigration purposes, often through documentation of their shared lives, finances, and shared residence. Federal data show that roughly 343,000 people obtained lawful permanent residency through marriage in 2024, accounting for about one-quarter of all green cards issued that year.

July 6: The Gateway Pundit: FED paper says housing prices rose 30% and a shortage of housing followed because of the open border policies of the last Administration
A paper from the Federal Reserve published this spring, 'The Impacts of Unauthorized Immigration on U.S. Labor and Housing Markets: New Evidence from Administrative Microdata,' found that the out-of-control surge in illegal immigration under Joe Biden drove up housing costs by approximately 30% of home-price growth, and 20% of rent growth in the average metropolitan area from March 2021 to March 2024. Author Daniel Wilson is the Vice President of Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (FRBSF) and coauthor Xiaoqing Zhou is the current is the Assistant Vice President in the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. According to the report, "From early 2021 to early 2024, the U.S. experienced an unprecedented boom in unauthorized immigration, followed by a rapid slowdown beginning in mid-2024." "We find that unauthorized immigrant worker flows (UIWF) increased local employment approximately one-for-one, without significant declines in local wages. These inflows also raised local house prices and rents without expanding housing supply, consistent with a housing demand shock in the face of short-run inelastic supply," the report also says.

July 6: The Washington Times: Ukraine's battle-tested
defense system looking to expand across Europe
Ukraine no longer looked like a mere recipient of foreign military aid at this year's edition of Europe's largest land warfare exhibition. Across the halls of Eurosatory, just outside Paris, Ukrainian companies displayed drones, ground robots, electronic warfare systems, battlefield software, missiles and counter-drone technology — all shaped by more than four years of modern, full-scale war against a more powerful aggressor -- Russia. Although Ukraine remains dependent on Western aid, especially for air defense systems and ammunition, the country's defense companies are increasingly seen as attractive partners by European officials and arms manufacturers. European companies, are looking at Ukraine for lessons in speed, drones, electronic warfare and battlefield feedback, as well as inspiration to reform and modernize their own procurement systems. "The experience of Ukraine in defense is a real guarantee of security for Europe," President Zelenskyy told European Union foreign ministers in March. Under the new framework, companies will be allowed to export certain weapons, technologies and components to partner countries, while a share of proceeds will go into a state defense fund. The goal is to solve one of Ukraine's central wartime paradoxes: Its manufacturers can build drones, electronic warfare systems, ammunition and other weapons at scale, but state demand and budget limits do not always match their production capacity. Exports and foreign co-production could give companies the money to expand while keeping the Ukrainian army first in line for critical systems.

July 6: News Max: Rep. Commer to Senate GOP; "Are you that weak?"
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) Sunday ripped Senate Republicans for failing to advance the SAVE America Act, intensifying pressure on GOP lawmakers as President Trump's election integrity legislation remains stalled in the upper chamber. Comer questioned why Republican senators have not united behind legislation requiring proof of citizenship and voter identification for federal elections. "Are you that weak? That's my question to any Republican senator: Are you that weak, to where if you vote for a valid ID to be shown to vote, you're gonna get beat in your home state?" Comer asked. "I mean, if you're that weak, you don't need to be a United States senator," he added. "Not only do they don't have 60 votes, they don't have 50 votes — which I don't believe that," Comer said, referring to the possibility of changing Senate rules to let the bill pass with a simple majority, an option Trump has urged Republicans to consider. The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and establish nationwide voter identification requirements. The measure would strengthen election integrity by ensuring only eligible citizens vote in federal elections, its proponents say.

July 5: News Max:
Russia faces an emergency situation after Ukraine strikes energy infrastructure
Ukraine's long-range drone and missile campaign against Russia's energy infrastructure has evolved into one of the most consequential developments of the war, inflicting unprecedented damage on the Kremlin's oil refining industry and placing growing pressure on Russia's economy, transportation network, and political leadership. According to Ukraine's General Staff, systematic strikes since August 2025 have disabled approximately 42.7% of Russia's oil refining capacity, causing an estimated $13.5 billion in losses to the industry.

July 5: The Post Newspaper:
Charles Krauthammer: Trump isn't a Republican nor a Democrat, he's a pragmatist
At a dinner conversation before his death in 2018, well known commentator Dr. Charles Krauthammer made a remark that Donald Trump is not a conservative. He contended in Trump's was neither a conservative nor a liberal but rather a pragmatist. He said he saw a problem and understood it needed to be fixed. Krauthammer contended Trump only sees there is a problem that needs to be fixed. His comment was based on observations during the beginning of Trump's first term in office.

July 4: News Max: Constitutional lawyer and expert Dershowitz;
Congress could seek to limit birthright citizenship through legislation
Constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz said Saturday that Congress could seek to limit birthright citizenship through legislation, arguing that lawmakers have authority to define who is "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States under the 14th Amendment. Dershowitz said he believes congressional action would stand a stronger chance of surviving judicial review than the executive action by President Donald Trump. "Speaker [Mike] Johnson got it exactly right," Dershowitz said. "There is something Congress can do." A divided Supreme Court Tuesday upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Trump's executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. A bare majority of five justices, in an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, held that the long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, makes a citizen of anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions. Dershowitz argued that the Constitution's Citizenship Clause, which grants citizenship to people born in the United States and "subject to the jurisdiction thereof," leaves room for Congress to specify categories of people who would not meet that standard. "All Congress has to do is pass a statute saying the following people are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States," he said. He pointed to existing exceptions, including children born in the United States to foreign diplomats, who generally are not granted automatic U.S. citizenship. He also cited other limited categories that he said Congress could use as a model for legislation. Dershowitz suggested lawmakers could draft a narrowly tailored statute addressing people who travel to the United States solely to give birth and have no continuing ties to the country. He said such legislation could ultimately persuade some Supreme Court justices who might reject a unilateral executive action but uphold a law enacted by Congress. "I would bet you anything that if that happened, if it happened through legislation, rather than through the executive act of the president, it might peel off at least one, maybe two of the 5-to-4 majority," Dershowitz said. He added that he would be willing to assist lawmakers in drafting such legislation. [See Related Story]

July 4: The Washington Times: Communist Party USA denies radial socialist running for Congress are communists; what else would you expect them to say?
President Trump has painted Democrat primaries as targets for communists, but the Communist Party USA dismisses that claim. The party condemned his "red baiting tirades" against the Democratic Socialists of America primary victories in New York, Colorado and the District of Columbia. "I don't know any Democrat candidate for Congress that's a member of the Communist Party," the party leader said Friday. We are "…unaware of any member of Congress that's a member. In a social media post Monday, Trump labeled D.C. mayoral nominee Janeese George a "Communist" and promised to block her agenda. Following her recent Democrat primary victory, the president criticized her stands on police and immigration enforcement, stating he would not let the city "be destroyed by a Communist adherent. Trump also repeatedly referred to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a "communist lunatic."

July 4: Fox News: Great American State Fair attendees share their thoughts about our nation
Americans at the "Great American State Fair" shared their excitement about celebrating Independence Day while also weighing in on President Trump's performance and the issues they see as the nation's biggest concerns. A family from Colorado shared that they are worried about the economy and Iran, but trust Trump will get it straightened out. They also shared that socialism is a top concern having seen it in their own state. "It's not just what the president is doing. It's a lot of politics over a lot of years that has created the situation we're in." Many said the country has become too divided by politics and that Americans should spend less time focusing on partisan differences and more time embracing the shared values and freedoms that unite them.

July 3: The Gateway Pundit: The Great American State Fair comes to the Washington, DC mall with military aircraft fly overs
B-2 Bombers and other fighter aircraft flew over the Great American State Fair in DC Friday. "A world-class exposition and modern-day World's Fair celebrating the people, traditions, innovations, and spirit that make America the greatest nation on Earth," Freedom 250 said. "Featuring more than 150 exhibits from all 56 states and territories, businesses, innovators, and civic organizations, the Great American State Fair will showcase the very best of America through state pavilions, industry displays, family-friendly attractions, movie screenings, musical performances, military ensembles, spectacular flyovers, daily cultural programming, and an iconic Ferris wheel on the National Mall," they said. Americans cheered as NASA F-5s and a B-2 Spirit roared over the Great American State Fair. So did the U.S Air Force's Thunderbirds. Even an F-35 Lightning also hovered over DC's Tidal Basin in front of the Jefferson Memorial.

July 3: News Max: Plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz appears to be working
President Donald Trump's plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz appears to be working, as transits show the strongest signs yet of returning to normal operations. Commercial shipping is steadily increasing under the 60-day U.S.-Iran ceasefire, easing fears of prolonged global oil supply disruptions and driving crude prices lower. New maritime data shows vessel traffic through the strategic waterway has more than quadrupled over the past week as shipping companies cautiously resume voyages through the Persian Gulf. According to maritime intelligence platform Signal, the number of traceable daily voyages entering and leaving the Gulf increased from just one or two ships during most of the conflict to eight vessels by July 1. But the number of ships moving through with their transponders off is believed to be considerably higher. One study estimated that as many as 40 ships a day transited the strait over the past week. While still well below prewar traffic levels, the rebound marks a significant improvement in confidence among commercial operators. Before the conflict erupted, approximately 135 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz each day, carrying roughly one-fifth of the world's traded oil and liquefied natural gas. The increase in shipping is already having a measurable impact on global energy markets.

July 3: Fox News:
FBI conducts historic cross-agency operation bagging over 300 suspects in Chicago area
FBI Director Kash Patel detailed a historic cross-agency operation that resulted in the arrest of over 300 suspects in the Chicago area over the past 60 days. "Operation New Dawn represents a massive, whole-of-government approach under President Trump's leadership to cracking down on violent crimes and crimes against children in great American cities," Patel said. This was a sweeping operation in Chicago that brought together 11 different federal agencies across the government who worked together to execute 305 arrests and recover 24 children — many of whom had been reported kidnapped or missing — as well as charging subjects with robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking, child exploitation and more. "The success of this op and more to come through initiatives like Summer Heat 2.0 should be a clear message that this FBI, our partners and the Justice Department led by AG Todd Blanche are full throttle on crushing criminal networks in this country no matter where they are.

July 2: Associated Press(posted by News Max):
FBI assigns 260 personnel to investigate election fraud in Georgia election
The FBI has asked its field offices across the country to dedicate more than 200 staffers to its investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia's Fulton County. In a memo the FBI calls for a "surge" of 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort, which it described as a "priority investigation." It said each of them is to conduct a check of an estimated 708 records by July 17. While the memo does not describe the investigation, unidentified people familiar with the matter confirmed the request was to help with the Georgia 2020 election investigation. FBI agents in January seized hundreds of boxes containing ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election in Georgia's most populous county, which is heavily Democrat and includes most of the city of Atlanta. The Justice Department has previously said it is investigating "irregularities that occurred during the 2020 presidential election in the County."

July 2: iHeartMedia|KTRH:
Birthright citizenship decision isn't the last word but the road ahead isn't easy
After the 5-4 Supreme Court decision on Birthright Citizenship, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who voted with the majority said that birthright citizenship is part of federal law and that Congress could reverse it through legislation. President Trump is already calling on Congress to do just that, saying that the ruling can "easily" be reversed in Congress, with "no long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment necessary." House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled he is open to taking action on the issue, saying he's "very disappointed" in the ruling, "and we'll have to deal with it as a Congress." Meanwhile some experts are saying it would ultimately take a constitutional amendment to reverse the majority's ruling. "You would need to change the meaning of the 14th Amendment," one expert said. Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt has already pledged to introduce a constitutional amendment centered around Trump's executive order, and Speaker Johnson said he would be open to pursuing an amendment as well, although he noted "it's usually at least a many years-long process, and very complicated." In order for an amendment to be added to the Constitution 3/4ths of the states would need to approve it. That's 38 states and that could be a challenge with at least 14 states currently leaning left. Additionally, 2/3rds of the House and Senate would need to vote for such an amendment, something that's not likely to happen.

July 1: The Gateway Pundit: DOJ directs its attorneys to give special attention to visas in light of the Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship decision
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announces on Wednesday DOJ will prioritize prosecutions of birth tourism schemes involving visa fraud as foreign nationals continue exploiting U.S. citizenship loopholes despite 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court striking down Trump's birthright executive order. Tuesday, the Department of Justice directed federal prosecutors across the country to prioritize investigations and prosecutions of birth tourism schemes. The move shows the administration is not backing down. Instead, it is stepping up existing criminal law against the fraudsters who exploit visa loopholes. In a department-wide memo, DOJ directed every U.S. Attorney's office to work closely with DHS on these cases. Potential charges include visa fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and wire fraud for foreign nationals who come to the United States under "false pretenses" to give birth and secure automatic citizenship for their child. The memo notes that many of these schemes begin with lies on visa applications about the true purpose and length of stay — conduct that has always been illegal. Past prosecutions focused heavily on visa fraud, but the directive makes clear prosecutors should pursue the full range of criminal statutes when the evidence supports it. This crackdown follows the DHS "Birth Tourism Initiative" launched in April and comes as the Trump administration continues its historic enforcement of immigration laws. Here's a thought; why not deny outright any visa for women who are pregnant and restrict their stay in the U.S. to no more than six months? Then make sure they leave the country when their visa expires.

July 1: News Max:
Calls resurface for the firing of the Senate Parliamentarian; Appointed by Harry Reid (D-NV) she has ripped important conservative provisions from key reconciliation bills
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) renewed his call Wednesday for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to remove Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, arguing she has blocked Republican priorities under the budget reconciliation process; including stripping provisions of the SAVE Act. Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump also called on Thune to remove MacDonough. Steube has criticized MacDonough for removing what he described as conservative provisions from Republicans' "big, beautiful bill," saying she had done so based on policy considerations. "She was appointed by Harry Reid (D-NV) decades ago, and Thune has the absolute authority to remove her and replace her with somebody else. He should have done it right when he took office," Steube contended. Republicans have increasingly criticized MacDonough after she ruled that several provisions sought by the GOP could not be included in legislation being advanced through the budget reconciliation process because they did not comply with Senate rules. Reconciliation allows certain budget-related legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes typically needed to overcome a filibuster. Thune has not indicated that he intends to replace MacDonough. Previous Senate leaders of both parties have generally retained parliamentarians across changes in party control, though the position serves at the pleasure of the Senate and can be replaced by the majority leader.

July 1: Fox News: Car Bomb: Another Russian General killed by Ukrainian operatives
For the second time in little more than a year, a blast tore through the Moscow suburb of Balashikha, Russia, and left a Russian military figure dead. On June 9, explosives planted under a BMW detonated as the driver began leaving a parking lot, according to The Insider, an independent Russian outlet. They identified the man killed as Lt. Gen. Damir Davydov, a Russian Defense Ministry official responsible for supplying missiles and artillery ammunition to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The location was striking. According to other sources, the explosion occurred roughly 1,150 feet from the site where Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy chief of the Main Operations Directorate of Russia's General Staff, was killed in a car bombing in April 2025. Months before Moskalik's death, another senior Russian officer was assassinated in Moscow. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops, was killed when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter exploded outside an apartment building. A source in Ukraine's Security Service, known as the SBU, said the SBU was the group that carried out the operation. Together, the attacks are part of a broader pattern of assassinations and attempted assassinations targeting senior Russian military figures — a campaign that a European intelligence source says is now exposing tensions inside Putin's own security system. Within Russia there is tension between the military and the security forces (formerly the KGB). The security forces see the military as a threat while the military wants them to protect their high-ranking leaders. The tension has only increased with the prominence of the military in the Ukraine war.