Posts on Friday, July 11, 2025

A federal appeals court on Friday quashed plea bargains that would spare three alleged Sept. 11, 2001, conspirators from the death penalty in exchange for confessing guilt, extending the troubled prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other Guantanamo detainees accused of engineering the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. “The families of the victims and the American public have a strong interest in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in the 2-1 opinion. “In particular, the judgment about whether respondents should face the death penalty is a grave one that requires political accountability.”

One of the most powerful executives in the financial industry did not mince words when talking about the modern Democrat Party. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, absolutely went off on the political left, its terrible ideas, and even worse execution. "I have a lot of friends who are Democrats, and they’re idiots," Dimon said, per Bloomberg, while speaking at a foreign-ministry event in Ireland. "I always say they have big hearts and little brains. They do not understand how the real world works. Almost every single policy rolled out has failed," he added. How did the Democrats go so far in the wrong direction?

The departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, Agriculture, Labor, and Justice are ending illegal aliens’ abilities to leech off the American taxpayer by taking advantage of federal programs. The departments announced on Thursday that illegals will no longer be able to access the government programs, as they have been able to do since the Clinton administration. The Trump administration made the move to “ensure that taxpayer-funded program benefits intended for the American people are not diverted to subsidize illegal aliens,” HHS said in its announcement.

Wind and solar energy, along with the batteries and transmission lines they require to function even minimally, are inherently bad for the environment. But sometimes they are even worse, as when turbine blades fail. This sad story from the Nantucket Current is one we have seen repeatedly around the country: GE Vernova will pay the town of Nantucket and island businesses $10.5 million as part of a settlement related to the offshore wind turbine blade failure in July 2024 at the Vineyard Wind farm. *** The town announced the settlement Friday morning with GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the Haliade-X turbine that failed, nearly one year since the 300-foot-long blade

David Gergen, who worked for four presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, before becoming an academic and political TV pundit, has died. He was 83. Gergen died in a retirement home in Massachusetts on July 10, his son said, according to several outlets. The Washington, D.C., veteran had been suffering from Lewy body dementia, his son said. Those who knew and admired Gergen took to X to express their condolences. Former California first lady Maria Shriver wrote on X: "David Gergen was total professional and a really kind man. My thoughts are with his family. He loved

After losing to the one guy they were certain they could beat, Democrats are making a show of puzzling over how to win elections. It’s not really much of a puzzle. They simply need to get on the right side of some easy 80/20 issues. Like illegal immigration. Like men competing in women’s sports. Like catching and punishing criminals. Like the First Amendment. Like disclaiming Marxism. Why can’t the Democrats see this? Well, they can. Democrats are just pretending they can’t because they don’t want to alienate . . . Democrats.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said during her book tour last weekend that she views Supreme Court opinions as a way to voice her personal convictions. “I just feel that I have a wonderful opportunity to tell people in my opinions how I feel about the issues, and that’s what I try to do,” Jackson said. She made the comments during a discussion of her new memoir, “Lovely One,” in front of 4,000 attendees at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans. Jackson’s conception of her role appears to differ from that of most Supreme Court justices.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation bureau has released a preliminary report on the Air India flight that crashed in June, showing the fuel to the engines was cut off. The London-bound plane had barely left the runway at Ahmedabad airport before it careened back to earth. Everyone on board was killed, except for one passenger. According to the report obtained by CNN, the fuel control switches in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had been flipped, shutting down the engines. Investigators were able to get data out of the black boxes, including 49 hours of flight data and two hours of cockpit audio, including the crash.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, suggested in a new interview that most people don’t vote the way she thinks they should because they are not properly informed. "Most people voted the wrong way because they were uneducated," Crockett said on The Jamal Bryant Podcast "Let’s Be Clear," released on Thursday. "And that's not to call them dumb," Crockett clarified, explaining that real life gets in the way. "You're trying to keep a roof over your head, keep food on the table, trying to make sure that your kids have what they need. And so you're not tuned in."

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson got brutally exposed twice by her colleagues for being out of her depth. Sure, some could say, ‘Well, of course, the conservative wing would slam her opinions.’ Before they both passed, Justice Antonin Scalia did this often to his friend and colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Yet, this has a different flavor. Amy Coney Barrett came within inches of calling her mentally challenged, later Sonia Sotomayor also pretty much said Jackson was ahead of her skis in the dissent on Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce. So, when Ms. Jackson said she’s worried about our democracy,

What happens when even Donald Trump’s most loyal allies start questioning the administration’s handling of one of the most explosive cases in modern history? We’re about to find out, and it’s not pretty. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reportedly had a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Jeffrey Epstein files, and the fallout has been swift and telling. According to sources, Bongino was so frustrated with Bondi’s lack of transparency that he took the day off work on Friday, leading some to speculate that he might have quit altogether.

Furious that Trump is finally getting around to keeping his wildly popular promises on immigration, The New York Times has decided to take out its frustration on his wunderkind adviser, Stephen Miller. Before I describe the opening of the hit piece, let’s review some relevant polls. Since Trump’s election, Americans have consistently, overwhelmingly told pollsters that they want mass deportation of all illegals. An Axios poll in January, for example, showed an astonishing 66% in favor. Even at the mendacious Times, a poll that same month put it at 55%. (With the NYT wind chill factor, that makes it 63%.)

A human resources director for the State of Minnesota is now on leave after sending a profanity-laced email from his official work account to an Alpha News reporter following an inquiry about racist posts on his social media page. It started after Alpha News received an email about LaVon “Vonnie” Phillips. A search of the state directory website shows Phillips listed as a “Human Resources Director 1” for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). State records also indicate that Phillips earns six-figures and is paid $55.45 per hour. The tipster raised concerns about Phillips and claimed his social media page is “littered with racist comments about ‘white folk.’”

Democrats are going off the rails, embracing extremism. But because it's Democrats, you know they can always get worse. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is very left-wing. But I guess he and some other New York City House Democrats are not left enough for some of Zohran Mamdani's far-left allies. Fast-forward to today, and DSA leaders are apparently mulling running primary challengers against Jeffries as well as other House Democrats whose districts are in New York City, including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman and Yvette Clarke. Jeffries, who two years ago succeeded longtime House Democratic leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi,

Violent rioters clashed with federal immigration officers on Thursday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection raided two Southern California cannabis farms, one of which is now under investigation for child labor violations. Ten illegal immigrant minors, eight of whom were unaccompanied, were rescued from the Camarillo Glass House farm. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott confirmed that feds have put the farm under investigation for child labor violations. “This is Newsom’s California,” he said.

Staff at a California surgical center were captured on video trying to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting a Honduran landscaper this week, with one telling a federal officer "you don’t even have a warrant for him." The tense scene unfolded Tuesday at the Ontario Advanced Surgery Center, located about 30 miles east of Los Angeles. "Get your hands off of him," one staff member in blue scrubs is heard saying, shielding the man from an immigration agent. "Let him go. You need to get out."

A man who was raised in the belly of the beast and knows the brainwashed violence of fanatical Islam from the inside has another warning for Europeans and Americans foolishly welcoming in hordes of Muslim migrants: the Muslims will absolutely destroy Europe, given the smallest opening. Mosab Hassan Yousef knows from personal experience both that not every young Muslim is irreclaimable, but that many of them are. After all, while he defected to Israel and converted to Christianity, even though his father was a co-founder of the terrorist group Hamas, he has also warned repeatedly that the majority of the so-called Palestinians in Gaza will never give up

It doesn't seem like there are sane Democrats left at this point. With so many of them embracing extremism from New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to the demonizing of ICE, they are off the rails, bat guano nuts at this point. That's also given license to the bad actors — the anti-ICE people who have been targeting agents in despicable attacks, such as the shootings in Texas at a detention center and a Border Patrol facility. Fetterman called the demonizing of ICE agents "absolutely unacceptable, terrible, awful." He said, "ICE agents are just doing their job, and, um, I fully support that."

Everyone can see the play by President Trump. Essentially, the “coalition of the willing” (U.K, Germany, France) are not willing to go to war against Russia without the United States in front of them. Giving the coalition the weapons puts the consequences of their use on the heads of NATO allies. Despite the majority of Washington DC, (snip)thirsting, pleading and demanding an expanded NATO war, President Trump does not want to go to war against Russia.(snip)has to try and steer the war machine controlled by DC, the Senate, USIC and NATO. (snip) In February Marco Rubio earnestly and honestly said, “The Ukraine conflict is a proxy war for

CORRECTION: The mandate starting a 90-day clock for Trump to appeal the appeals court decision from last year was issued Thursday night. The appeals court last year had upheld a jury’s verdict finding Trump liable of sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. An earlier story included incorrect information. - A federal appeals court on Thursday formally closed out President Trump’s appeal of a jury’s verdict finding him liable of sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The mandate starts the 90-day clock for Trump to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.

On Monday night, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ordered the Trump administration to break the law, ignore a Supreme Court order, and give Planned Parenthood money that is not authorized by Congress. In fact, Congress said don't give Planned Parenthood money. (snip.) Need I sat this power-mad Judge Doom is an Obama appointee? Well, she is. The Big Beautiful Bill is now the law. (snip.) Talwani, whose district is in Massachusetts, vetoed the law.

A headline in Axios over the weekend carried this scary warning: “An increasing share of American adults are going hungry.” The “shocking data point” comes, the story says, “at a time when the stock market is hitting record highs and President Donald Trump just signed a bill slashing food benefits.” But take a look at the chart Axios published in that tear-jerking story, which is based on data from Morning Consult. Notice anything? Morning Consult started tracking “food insecurity” in 2021. And, sure enough, it was on the rise – the entire time Joe Biden was president.

Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and GOP U.S. Senate candidate who has been embroiled in a series of controversies in recent years, confirmed that he and his wife, Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, are divorcing. Angela Paxton, a Republican who represents the state's 8th senate district, announced the news on X July 10. "Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds," she wrote. (snip) Ken Paxton released his own statement on X shortly thereafter, in which he attributed "the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny" for the filing.

On Tuesday, President Trump took umbrage at a question about the Justice Department’s assertion that there are no Epstein tapes, there is no client list, and there is nothing more to be released. The Twitterverse has been brutal towards AG Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and his #2, Dan Bongino. Many people were saying they felt betrayed, given the fact that, before the election, we were told that the files would be released and the criminals held to account.

The Trump administration is investigating the state of Minnesota for potentially discriminating based on race and sex in its hiring practices. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is looking into whether Minnesota, including the state’s Department of Human Services, is violating federal civil rights law by hiring based on race, sex, and other protected characteristics. “Our investigation is based on information that Minnesota may be engaged in certain employment practices that discriminate against employees, job applicants, and training program participants based on race and sex in violation of Title VII,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon wrote in a notice

US President Donald Trump said he is planning on making a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday. This comes on the back of US preparing to send new American weapons to Ukrain via purchases from NATO allies. "I think I'll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," Trump told NBC News in a telephone interview, news agency Bloomberg reported. In the interview, he also reiterated his criticism of Russia President Vladimir Putin and the country's continued attacks on Ukraine. He said he expects the senate to pass a tougher sanctions bill on Russia, sponsored by a close ally, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

President Donald Trump plans to use the authority granted to him under a foreign assistance law to send more defensive weapons to aid Ukraine in its war with Russia, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the decision. The Context The report came after Trump sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week and said the U.S. would send more military aid to Ukraine. "We have to," Trump told reporters. "They have to be able to defend themselves." What To Know One source told the outlet that the military aid Trump plans to send to Ukraine could be worth as much as $300 million. The president clarified

Two federal agencies are preventing illegal immigrants from accessing taxpayer-funded programs with the goal of ensuring U.S. taxpayer dollars only serve American citizens. The Departments of Health and Human Services and Education both announced plans to limit taxpayer subsidization of illegal aliens in compliance with federal law. The moves are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to disincentivize illegal immigration and prevent taxpayer dollars from supporting it. HHS is barring illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits by rescinding a Clinton-era interpretation of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The Clinton administration’s 1998 policy allowed illegal aliens to access congressionally mandated programs. Now, the Trump administration is reinterpreting

The U.S. government moved this week to shore up national security vulnerabilities stemming from China-linked land purchases in America, launching the initiative in a high-profile press conference with senior Trump administration officials and governors from several states. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins described American farming as “under threat from criminals, from political adversaries, and from hostile regimes that understand our way of life as a profound and existential threat to themselves,” during the Tuesday press conference. Other Trump cabinet officials at the event included Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Political geeks often obsess about poll numbers, but outside election years, we tend only to have access to national numbers. National approval ratings are not irrelevant, of course, but they don't actually tell you what political geeks need to know to gauge potential election outcomes. Political players in Washington, though, care much more about what their specific constituents think, not what the vast number of voters in coastal cities do. We all know that Trump's approval numbers in New York City, Washington, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago will be in the toilet. The big question is how he is doing in swing states and districts,