Posts on Thursday, July 31, 2025

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dramatically ramped up prosecutions stemming from anti-deportation riots in central California that erupted in June, a local federal prosecutor said Wednesday. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, a President Donald Trump appointee, said in a X post that his office has charged 53 people with “assaults on [federal] agents or interference with immigration enforcement” since rioters began setting fires and assaulting law enforcement in Los Angeles in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. The number represents a large jump from June 17, when Essayli said his team had charged “more than 20” defendants.

A dozen congressional Democrats are suing the Trump administration to gain unfettered access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the District of Columbia’s federal court, accuses ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of improperly blocking congressional oversight into immigration detention centers and ICE field offices, according to court documents. The Trump administration, in turn, is accusing Democrats of not following protocol and grandstanding for fundraising purposes. “Nevertheless, since June 2025, each Plaintiff, in his or her official capacity as an individual member of Congress, has attempted to obtain information about conditions at a DHS facility used to detain or otherwise house noncitizens,”

A not-so-bright criminal learned what it means to “poke the bear.” A Florida man (you already know this story is going to be good) was arrested after selling the signs he allegedly stole from Smokey the Bear on Facebook Marketplace. The best part… Smokey helped nab the suspect, according to Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. [Tweet] Simpson called the suspect, whose identity has not been released but could face jail time, an “idiot.” “Smokey is always around our forest and just got lucky today that he saw the bad guy and got him handcuffed,” Simpson told Fox 13, “What an idiot, what an idiot.”

On Thursday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) argued that redistricting by Democrats that was favorable to them in states like Illinois, Oregon, and New Mexico is different from what Republicans are doing with redistricting in Texas because “there [are] criteria that goes into how the lines are to be drawn. You can’t do it in a discriminatory fashion.” And stated “folks are watching for” if Republicans will follow voting rights protections. Co-host A Martínez asked, [relevant exchange begins around 2:10] “But Democrats had redistricting efforts in the past, Illinois, Oregon, New Mexico, in recent years, to their advantage. Why is this any different?”

Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) claimed Thursday on MSNBC’s “The Weeknight” that President Donald Trump’s tariffs would cause “double-digit” price increases. Coons said, “He made a lot of promises in his campaign. He promised not to cut Medicaid, but he has. They’ve passed the so-called Big Beautiful Bill that cut Medicaid. He promised he was going to lower prices, but he hasn’t. He’s going to impose tariffs tonight, that will raise them.” Host Michael Steele said, “Senator, we have less than a minute left, but I do want you to pick up on one thing you noted there about tomorrow, August 1st, tariff day, your thoughts?”

Canadian churches are being fined thousands of dollars and harassed by leftist protesters for hosting performances by Christian singer and conservative activist Sean Feucht, who said he has been labeled an “extremist” for his religious beliefs. Feucht, a former Republican candidate for a California congressional seat and founder of the “Let Us Worship” movement, has faced a slew of forced cancellations across his Canadian tour this month by city governments, the Vancouver Sun reported. Six of his concerts in Central and Eastern Canada were cancelled last week, and churches that went against the government to host him anyway are facing fines of $2,500, according to the Canadian Press.

The O’Keefe Media Group on Thursday released undercover video of the Vera Institute Director confessing the non-profit “tips illegals off” on ICE agents’ whereabouts by using secret “notification system.” “There’s been some really great work that has been done to create [ICE] notification systems,” Santiago Mueckay, Director of Advocacy for the Vera Institute of Justice told an OMG undercover reporter. Mueckay boasted about how the Vera Institute helps illegals evade immigration officials. “We know which states are being targeted…If you see someone [ICE agents], you can text the group, and then it’ll go on a website… so people can avoid the area,” Mueckay said.

Jeanine Pirro, Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, posted a video Thursday informing the public that a man who is a four-time deported illegal alien with felony convictions is working as a groundskeeper on Capitol Hill, and that ICE agents trying to arrest him are prevented from doing so. [Tweet] Pirro, “…We have an individual who is a four-time deportee–that means he’s been deported four times. He’s also an aggravated felon–many felony convictions, that’s why he was deported. But he managed to make it back. He is in fact working on Capitol Hill.

"You wrote a book? You couldn't make it through a speech without the teleprompter, but you want people to believe you wrote a book?" Those are the words of Trump impersonator extraordinaire Shawn Farash in response to former vice president and miserably failed 2024 Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who announced on Wednesday the upcoming release of her "behind-the-scenes look" at arguably the most disastrous presidential campaign in modern American history. [Tweets, video] "You wrote a book? You couldn't make it through a speech without the teleprompter, but you want people to believe you wrote a book?" Those are the words of Trump impersonator extraordinaire Shawn Farash

Speaker Johnson seems to be very optimistic these days, saying the GOP will “defy history when we grow the majority in the House” in 2026. The Speaker is clearly referencing the announcement of the new Texas GOP redistricting plan for the U.S. House seats in Texas, which was announced recently and could change a 25 Republican to 13 Democrat House delegation edge to a 30 Republican to 8 Democrat edge. This would be a net gain of 5 seats, if the five new seats that are all pro-Trump by double digits vote Republican.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that modified “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, with updated duties ranging from 10% to 41%. All goods that are considered to have been transshipped to avoid applicable duties will be subject to an additional 40% tariff, according to the White House. Countries that are not listed in the latest order will face an additional duty of 10%, the order said. The updated directive modifies tariffs imposed under the earlier executive order issued in April. The modified rates will be effective with respect to goods “entered for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m.

RUN! SAVE YOURSELVES! Or something. If the Kamchatka earthquake and resulting “tsunami” proved anything, it proved a couple of things to me. People love to overreact, and NPR was not the “early warning system" for, well, anyone. I got a “tsunami warning” via my own warning system. My wife. I was told a massive earthquake, in or around Kamchatka, would soon cause a tsunami on the west coast. The tsunami was on its way. She told me when, but I was busy not listening. But my early warning system worked. I was informed. But what about Ma and Pa Kettle? You know, the folks living with dirt floors,

A crony of then-Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper threatened to withhold a promotion from a senior intelligence official unless he concurred in the fake Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, notes obtained exclusively by The Federalist show. The notes made public for the first time today recount a conversation the top analyst in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) had with an unnamed superior who worked closely with the then-Director James Clapper, according to sources familiar with the document.

Alas, the day is here: the annex to the Durham report, the investigation into the origins of the Russian collusion hoax that former Attorney General William Barr initiated, has been declassified and released. It was discovered in the FBI burn bags by Director Kash Patel. It wasn’t just this file—thousands of documents related to the Russian interference investigation that the Obama DOJ, or lack thereof, conducted. The annex is clear about a few things, some of which you’ve already read about from Katie. First, we have George Soros ties, with emails from Open Society Foundations Regional Director Leonard Bernardo that were authentic,

A Minnesota man convicted of killing his parents and younger siblings with an ax when he was a teen in 1988 has been released early under a law that Gov. Tim Walz backed. David Brom, now 53, had been assigned to work release as of July 29, according to online records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Brom was 16 years old when he killed his mother Paulette, his father Bernard, his younger sister Diane and younger brother Richard at their home in Rochester, Minnesota. Investigators found all four victims suffered multiple gash wounds to their heads and upper bodies

In recent weeks, a scandal of epic proportions has come to light, confirming that the Obama administration rigged intelligence to concoct the Russia collusion narrative against Donald Trump, and the conspiracy went all the way to the top: Barack Obama himself. This is no longer hearsay, thanks to two explosive document releases from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. (Snip) But speaking the truth in a rigged game is a recipe for punishment. When the analyst tried to report his concerns, he was promptly silenced by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), then the Democratic chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee,

For 150 years, Presidents, Administrations, and White House Staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed. President Donald J. Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future Administrations and the American people. The White House is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the world, yet the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance.

A Navy pilot safely ejected from an F-35 jet moments before it crashed into a Fresno County cotton field in a fiery blaze Wednesday evening. The crash occurred about 6:30 p.m., not far from Naval Air Station Lemoore, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. The wreckage of the military jet burned as deputies with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, paramedics, firefighters and officers with the California Highway Patrol responded to the field north of the base. Emergency officials on the ground found the pilot with a parachute in a nearby field. A helicopter transported the pilot to a hospital for evaluation. “He is expected to be OK,”

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton approved a plan hatched by a top campaign adviser to “smear” then-candidate Donald Trump with false claims of Russian collusion and distract from her own mounting email scandal during the 2016 campaign, according to explosive intelligence files declassified Thursday. The intelligence came from two memos obtained by the Obama administration in the lead-up to the Clinton-Trump contest and laid out “confidential conversations” between members of the Democratic National Committee and liberal billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

President Trump fired back at former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev over his dismissive response to Trump's insistence that Russia take demonstrable and verifiable steps to end its invasion and occupation of Ukraine. On Monday, RedState reported that President Trump had established a new and aggressive deadline for Russia to demonstrate its willingness to bring the war to a negotiated conclusion. (snip). "I’m going to make a new deadline, of about 10, 10 or 12 days from today," Trump said. "There’s no reason for waiting. It was 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made."

The leftist mob is now melting down over Dunkin’s latest “genetics” ad — just days after Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign was slammed as so-called Nazi propaganda. The donut company is the latest to find itself in the liberal firing line after dropping its new commercial featuring “The Summer I Turned Pretty” star Gavin Casalegno earlier this week. The 30-second clip, which was posted on the chain’s social media accounts, shows the heartthrob gushing that his tan is down to genetics.

President Trump warned Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev that he risks entering “dangerous territory” after he slammed the US deadline for a cease-fire in Ukraine as “a step towards war.” “Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!” Trump said on Truth Social Thursday morning regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top ally. Trump announced Monday to reporters in Scotland that he was pushing up a 50-day deadline he gave Russia to end the war, now calling for the three-year invasion of Ukraine to end within 10 to 12 days.

According to a Fox News release, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino found multiple files related to the FBI activity in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, which included the classified annex to the John Durham investigation, inside burn bags in a secret room at the FBI building in Washington, DC. (snip)Sources told Fox News Digital that one of the documents FBI officials found in a burn bag was the classified annex to former special counsel John Durham’s final report, which includes the underlying intelligence he reviewed.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that there would be a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico after a call with that country’s leader, Claudia Sheinbaum, as the 25% tariff rates stay in place. Trump, posting on Truth Social, said his phone conversation with Sheinbaum was “very successful in that, more and more, we are getting to know and understand each other.” Trump said that goods from Mexico imported into the U.S. would continue to face a 25% tariff that the U.S. president has ostensibly linked to fentanyl trafficking. The Republican said that autos would face a 25% tariffs, while copper, aluminum and steel would be taxed at 50%.

Ever since CIA Director John Ratcliffe issued a CIA report (styled as a "CIA Note: Tradecraft Review of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian Election Interference"), we've seen signs that the dam of hidden corruption regarding the Russia Collusion hoax was beginning to break. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has since issued several document disclosures related to the topic. And Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the Department of Justice Inspector General Appendix regarding the FBI's "Midyear Exam" investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails leading up to the 2016 election.There's a lot to review and digest.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Canada’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood could jeopardize a future trade deal between the U.S. and its northern neighbor. “Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh’ Canada!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump’s tariff deadline is August 1 and the U.S. has yet to reach a trade deal with Canada. Earlier this month, Trump threatened a 35 percent tariff on Canada, without going into specifics. The U.S. could increase tariffs on Canadian imports from 25 percent to 35 percent with exemptions

France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have now joined hands to proclaim they will recognize a "Palestinian state" in September if Israel doesn't surrender to Hamas. That comes despite calls from the United States to release the hostages as a precondition for any negotiations regarding a "two-state solution." In response, Hamas immediately pulled out of talks regarding a ceasefire, emboldened by a move that they see as assuring their survival as the governing authority in Gaza. In other words, Macron just doomed what hostages remain alive

Denver is in financial trouble. They ran a $50 million deficit this year, which is projected to balloon to $200 million next year. Denver’s expenses are systematically exceeding its revenues. Real-world entities would address this problem with a combination of (1) increasing their revenues and (2) decreasing their expenses. But Denver is not a real-world entity. It’s a government entity. It plans to do what governments do in government-world: It plans to borrow money. A lot of it. They’re putting on the ballot a bond proposal amounting to almost a billion dollars. By the time the bonds are paid off with interest years down the road, it would amount to nearly two billion.

Can anyone guess what is wrong with the following headline? “Democrats use new tactic to highlight Trump’s gutting of Medicaid: billboards in the rural U.S.” That appeared in The Guardian newspaper over the weekend. How about this one from NPR: “GOP governors stay silent amid plans to slash Medicaid spending in their states.” Or this one from AP: “Rural hospitals brace for financial hits or even closure under Republicans’ $1 trillion Medicaid cut“ Or this one from NBC News: “Another report suggests Medicaid cuts could lead to thousands of deaths.” Or countless others

It’s not often that one of my pieces is composed primarily of descriptions of other sources(Snip) But today I’ve had several pieces of information come at me from others, And all of them concern the Online Harms Act, which is already in force, and the Crime and Policing Bill, which will if passed soon also become an Act of Parliament and the settled law of the United Kingdom. I believe these two pieces of legislation represent the end of democracy and liberty in the UK. The kind of moaning and complaining I do will be illegal. The kind of discussion and disillusionment millions share about this government will be illegal.

Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. I’d like to talk about illegal immigration, but specifically about the new president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum. She’s been very vocal about U.S. policy toward Mexico. For example, she said she would offer legal counsel to her citizens that were here illegally that were picked up, she thought, unfairly or too violently by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.She also said that the United States had no business taxing remittances—that is money that Mexican nationals here, for the most part illegally, send back to Mexico. She said, “Do not come into Mexican national ground if you’re going after the cartels.”

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee, Joe Kent, as the next Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent was confirmed by the Senate in a 52–44 vote late Tuesday, according to the chamber’s roll call website.His wife, Shannon, was killed in Syria on Jan. 16, 2019, during operations against ISIS — just weeks after the Trump administration announced plans to withdraw U.S. troops from the region.Kent also served as acting chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, according to a Washington Post report.

International law — particularly Article 1 of the 1933 Montevideo Convention — defines the criteria for statehood: a permanent population, a defined territory, an effective government, and the capacity to engage in relations with other states. Yet neither of the two Palestinian political entities meets these criteria. By choosing to recognize a "Palestinian state" that clearly fails to meet these established criteria, France departs from any international law. Macron's declaration is not a matter of legal recognition, but a political gesture — ideological and electoral — masquerading as diplomacy.

The Democrats have decided that they want to make the One Big Beautiful Bill their primary campaign talking point in 2026. They think that by focusing on Medicaid cuts, they can scare voters away from the Republican Party and back toward them for the midterms. One of their focus points is how Medicaid cuts might impact rural hospitals. But the Democrats are also big proponents of doing away with the 340B drug program that those same hospitals rely on, and they aren't lifting a finger to stop big pharmaceutical companies from trying to gut it however they can.

It’s our “man bites dog” story of the day. Fox News noticed, Washington Post editorial slams Obama judge for blocking ‘fair and square’ GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood. I didn’t see that one coming. The Washington Post editorial board backed Pres. Trump under the headline, This is what judicial overreach looks like. The case is the one John wrote about on Monday where a rogue federal district judge vetoed the decision of Congress to defund Planned Parenthood. The Post‘s editorial is chock full of unexpected common-sense analysis,

Nancy Pelosi appeared rattled and visibly annoyed during a CNN interview this week when anchor Jake Tapper confronted her with Donald Trump’s accusations of insider trading. The former House speaker had joined the program to discuss the 60th anniversary of Medicaid, but things quickly went off-script when Tapper tried to bring up Trump’s pointed remarks. Tapper began to quote Trump, saying, “Nancy Pelosi became rich—” before Pelosi abruptly cut him off. “Why—why do you have to read that?” she snapped, clearly not happy with where the discussion was going. Tapper attempted to defuse the tension, saying he just wanted

Alternate headline: Harvard Runs Thin on Allies. The paroxysm of anti-Semitism on American campuses did not limit itself to the Ivy League. A continent away, pro-Hamas agitators and students staged violent intimidation campaigns at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), making national headlines as Jewish students and faculty got targeted. The faculty and administration went all-in almost immediately after the October 7 massacres too, offering extra credit for pro-Hamas lectures the same week. That prompted demonstrations promoting an "intifada" against the Jews within hours:

Brown University announced today that it had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore it's federal funding with. Brown is the third high profile university to make such an agreement. The agreement, a copy of which Brown made public, calls for the university to make $50 million in payments to state work force development programs over a decade and requires Brown to comply with the Trump administration’s vision on matters like transgender athletes and “merit-based” admissions policies. The university, which is in Providence, R.I., secured a pledge from the government that the deal would not be used “to dictate Brown’s curriculum

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has privately discussed the idea of running for political office next year in Tennessee, according to two people who have spoken directly with him about it. If Hegseth were to follow through on the discussions, it would amount to a major leadership shake-up at the department that oversees the American military and millions of federal employees. The Defense Department bars civilian employees from running for political office, meaning Hegseth would have to resign to do so. In a statement, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said, “Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump.”