Posts on Friday, August 8, 2025

President Donald Trump is replacing Billy Long as commissioner of the IRS less than two months after his confirmation, a White House official confirmed to The Epoch Times. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner. Long confirmed on social media that he will be the ambassador to Iceland.“It is [an] honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland,” Long said in an X post. “I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!”

Boston's sanctuary sheriff was arrested Friday on federal charges after allegedly leveraging his elected position to extort $50,000 from a cannabis executive who was seeking state approval to open a dispensary—a scheme FBI Director Kash Patel called a betrayal of public trust. Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, who oversees more than 1,000 employees in the Boston-area, was handcuffed Friday morning in the Southern District of Florida after a federal grand jury indicted him on two counts of extortion under color of official right, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

President Trump announced on Friday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 to discuss ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. He did not disclose additional details. Trump posted on Truth Social, “The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

A gunman is dead after opening fire at Georgia’s Emory University Friday afternoon, spraying bullets at a police cruiser and a nearby CDC headquarters building – leaving one officer injured, according to police and photos. The suspect died after the frightening shooting that prompted students to shelter in place on the last day of the summer term, according to the Atlanta Police Department. “There is no ongoing threat to the Emory Campus or the surrounding neighborhood,” police said in an updated alert on X around 6:45 p.m. “The incident involved a single shooter, who is now deceased. One law enforcement officer was injured in the course of the response.”

Famed NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who commanded the harrowing Apollo 13 mission that was forced to abandon a lunar landing attempt in 1970, has died. He was 97. Lovell died on August 7 in Lake Forest, Illinois, according to a NASA news release. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Lovell’s family requested privacy but said it was “saddened to announce the passing of our beloved father, USN Captain James A. ‘Jim’ Lovell, a Navy pilot and officer, astronaut, leader, and space explorer,” in a statement.

General Motors plans to import batteries from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) for its second-generation Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle, despite the high tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal reports that General Motors has announced that it will source batteries for its upcoming second-generation Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). This decision comes despite the steep tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese imports, which currently stand at around 80 percent for EV batteries. GM’s decision to import batteries from CATL is a temporary measure until the automaker and its Korean partner, LG Energy Solution, can ramp up their own manufacturing of

President Donald Trump signed a directive ordering the Pentagon to begin military operations against violent Latin American drug cartels that have been officially designated as foreign terrorist organizations. These cartels are responsible for flooding the United States with deadly drugs like fentanyl, fueling addiction, chaos, and record-setting violence. While past administrations looked the other way, President Trump is treating these narco-terrorists like the enemy combatants they are. According to the New York Times, President Trump’s order lays the groundwork for direct U.S. military action—both at sea and on foreign soil

A whistleblower doctor and his wife took to X recently to slam a man who is angling to become President Trump’s chief prosecutor in the Southern District of Texas. Dr. Eithan Haim, a surgeon who blew the whistle on illegal child sex change surgeries at Texas Children’s Hospital, and his wife, Andrea, contend that Pearson did nothing to oppose or block their persecution at the hands of the Biden-appointed US Attorney and AUSA Tina Ansari, who later had to recuse herself from the case due to her family’s close ties to the hospital. Pearson, a career prosecutor at the Southern District of Texas, has worked at the [DOJ] since 2004

For years, New York Attorney General Letitia James has fancied herself as the scourge of Donald Trump, chasing him with a vengeance to fulfill her campaign promise of getting Trump at any cost. Now, in a stunning turn of events, the Department of Justice has launched a grand jury investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James over her sham civil fraud case against Donald Trump. The partisan hit job that scored James a bloated $454 million judgment against Trump is now facing the heat of federal scrutiny, and the tables may finally be turning. Beyond the baseless 2022 civil fraud charges she leveled against him

On Wednesday, Penske Truck Rental tried to Bud Light itself by releasing a virtue-signaling statement criticizing the Department of Homeland Security for using one of its vehicles during an immigration enforcement operation. “Penske Truck Rental is aware of recent reports and videos regarding a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation in Los Angeles,” the statement said. “Penske strictly prohibits the transportation of people in the cargo area of its vehicles under any circumstances. The company was not made aware that its trucks would be used in today’s operation and did not authorize this. Penske will reach out to DHS and reinforce its policy to avoid improper use of its vehicles

Google said it’s working to fix a bizarre glitch that has rattled users of the tech giant’s much-hyped Gemini chatbot — after it spit out self-loathing messages while struggling to answer questions. X user @DuncanHaldane first flagged a disturbing conversation with Gemini back in June – including one case where it declared “I quit” and moaned that it was unable to figure out a request. “I am clearly not capable of solving this problem. The code is cursed, the test is cursed, and I am a fool,” Gemini said. itself, and I’m started to get concerned about AI welfare.”

Pop singer Lizzo attempted to troll the Sydney Sweeney jeans ad with American Eagle, even posting a new song on social media. Released on TikTok and Instagram, the video featured Lizzo in a denim get-up while twerking to the camera, per The Hollywood Reporter (THR): In one video snippet for “I’m Goin’ In Till October” (below), Lizzo is clad in torn denim while hosing down a Porsche and raps, “No kizzy, he ain’t got no business being with me. Fat ass pretty face with the titties. B**ch, I got good jeans like I’m Sydney.” (Or perhaps that should be “genes”?). In the second video,

Members of the propaganda press like David French are scrambling to peddle ignorant and disprovable lies about the damning Russiagate documents that were recently declassified. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley recently released the declassified appendix to Special Counsel John Durham’s 2023 report. The Durham report vindicated President Donald Trump and others who insisted the FBI acted improperly when it opened its investigation into the Trump campaign over allegations of collusion with Russia.

Commerce Department to begin working on a census that does not include illegal aliens. It’s a long-overdue correction to a system that Democrats have exploited for years to tip the balance of power in Washington. “I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024. People who are in our country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.

A Biden-appointed federal judge issued a nationwide injunction on President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order, arguing that the directive is likely to be found in violation of the Constitution. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued her opinion Thursday after agreeing to certify a class-action lawsuit from immigration rights group CASA. "The Court finds that the plaintiffs have shown they are entitled to a classwide preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs have established that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional claim because the Executive Order contradicts the plain language of the Fourteenth Amendment and conflicts with binding Supreme Court precedent,"

Washington — A divided federal appeals court on Friday granted the Trump administration's request to set aside a district judge's decision finding probable cause that some federal officials committed criminal contempt by violating an order to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants bound for El Salvador. The 2-1 decision from a panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is a massive victory for the Trump administration, which has lambasted U.S. District Judge James Boasberg for overstepping his authority when he initiated criminal contempt proceedings in April.

We’ve known for years that the Covid-19 vaccines left many Americans seriously injured. Yet despite this common knowledge, the federal government’s surveillance to ensure vaccine safety has been substandard, to put it charitably. Worse, its performance in compensating those injured by the vaccine has been pathetic. Now, Congress is finally paying attention to America’s vaccine woes. [Snip] The sheer number of reported adverse events from the Covid-19 vaccine (over 1.8 million) dwarfs all previously reported vaccine injuries. But because it is a “passive” reporting system, largely based on patient self-reporting, VAERS is unable to show a causal relationship between a specific vaccine injection and a particular adverse reaction.

In a reversal of one of the most prominent biomedical investment trends of the past five years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on August 5 a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development efforts under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). To be clear, it is not a ban on mRNA, but the changes carry significant repercussions for mRNA vaccine research. The decision affects 22 federal vaccine projects and nearly $500 million in research and development contracts. It follows what HHS described as a “comprehensive review” of data from mRNA-related initiatives launched during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Seattle is on track to elect one of the farthest left candidates in its history as the city suffers severe homelessness, violent crime waves and budget crises. Katie Wilson, 43, a former union leader who has pledged to 'Trump-proof' the Democrat-led city in Washington state, holds a narrow lead in her primary showdown with incumbent mayor Bruce Harrell. (Snip) She has also vowed to establish an 'Asylum Seeker Rapid Rehousing voucher program' that would provide migrants with two years of free housing subsidies, and instate a number of climate change policies. Wilson previously called to defund the Seattle Police Department

A 28-year-old man who was caught on video attacking two pro-life activists outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Baltimore was sentenced this week to a year of home detention and three years of probation. Baltimore Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant rebuffed prosecutors’ calls for a 10-year sentence against Patrick Brice, 28, after he was found guilty of two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment in relation to the May 2023 incident, according to The Baltimore Banner.

HOUSTON, Texas — Harris County Commissioners Court censured County Judge Lina Hidalgo following an outrageous rant and political stunt. The judge appeared unhinged as she interrupted and argued with the county commissioners, refusing to follow the rules of decorum. Harris County commissioners voted 3-1 to censure Judge Hidalgo after what the Houston Chronicle kindly described as a “heated disagreement over a proposed tax increase to pay for early childcare programs. Urban Reform, a local government watchdog and public policy group, posted a video showing the latest in a series of rants by Hidalgo, the county’s chief executive officer.

White collar conspiracy cases are mind-numbing. Murder mysteries with dead bodies and blood are riveting. The enormity of the Seth Rich case and the Cabal is unimaginable. Our government lied to the American People (See Bongino’s shocked statement). Our sheepdogs, the DOJ, FBI, and CIA, went full Stasi to protect the exposure of the Cabal. The Cabal is a RICO criminal enterprise — organized crime preying on the American people and their money (e.g., USAID — see Don Surber). Further, it was a coup to unseat a sitting president. See my body of work, which includes coverage of the Cabal’s likely involvement in Rich’s murder

The Israeli security cabinet approved a plan on Friday morning that will allow Israel to take military control of Gaza City, the first step in what could become a broader military operation to take control of the entire Gaza Strip. Israel’s goal in the expanded operation is to achieve decisive victory over Hamas while delivering humanitarian aid “outside of combat zones,” the council said in a statement after their ten-hour meeting. The cabinet’s five guidelines for ending the war include Hamas’s disarmament, the return of the remaining 50 hostages, 20 of whom are believed alive,

Spike Moss is a superannuated racist hustler and demagogue of the Black Power variety. I saw him speak at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1978 when he gave a speech denouncing Professor Steve Nemerson. Nemerson had committed the outrage of opposing “affirmative action” as a discriminatory policy. Moss turned in an unforgettably disgusting performance. Moss is perhaps most notable as a co-founder of the gang front called United For Peace in 1992. United For Peace sold itself to gullible municipal authorities as an organization bringing the Minneapolis police together with Minneapolis gangs to decrease violence. In September 1992 Minneapolis police officer Jerry Haaf was murdered execution-style, shot in the back

The woman who was brutally beaten in downtown Cincinnati by a mob of men is speaking out for the first time, describing the attack and lambasting the city's leadership for how they've handled the case. Holly, who is currently choosing to only go by her first name, showed physical signs of the ordeal while speaking to Fox News' Laura Ingraham, with visible bruises under her eye and on her cheek. She went on to talk about what led up to the assault that left her on her back, bleeding in the street. According to Holly,

Just because former President Joe Biden's decline while in office has been confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt, thanks in part to ongoing investigations as well as conveniently timed books from reporters on the matter, doesn't mean questions about the mental acuity of those who are still serving in government have gone away or should go away. We've written before, for instance, about the periodic incoherency that has come from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), with interviews done and video clips shared on social media from time to time that are, as my RedState colleague Rusty Weiss described, the equivalent of "nightmare fuel"

Just a couple months ago things were getting out of control in Los Angles night after night but this led a bunch of people to offer defenses of LA. The argument was that most of the city wasn't overrun with looters and rioters only parts of downtown. There was a lot of this, including on Jimmy Kimmel's show. He did a whole segment about how everything was fine. Meanwhile, the actual mayor of LA had declared a state of emergency and an 8pm curfew for downtown. The tweets denying there was a problem and the mayor's curfew were happening on the same day.

The Biden administration abused its power by turning the entire mechanism of the federal government into a Democratic voter mobilization campaign, according to newly unearthed White House documents viewed exclusively by The Post. The worst offender was FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under the Department of Homeland Security, which was controlled for four years by Biden’s Machiavellian border buster Alejandro Mayorkas. When responding to an emergency or a natural disaster, FEMA employees were directed to make voter registration a “key priority.”