Netanyahu appeared in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee spoke about the media chatter that Trump doesn’t like him.
“I heard in the media that Trump and I are parting ways. Ambassador Huckabee pointed it out. Trump and I talk every few days. He said himself that we see eye to eye. I don’t think you’re going to hear about a Palestinian state, the talk of a rupture is for political reasons.
We didn’t ask for permission to attack the Houthis, and we’re not asking for permission for our war plans in Gaza.
The Americans volunteered to get involved with the Houthis and said they would leave when it stops.”
In the Middle East, all minorities bleed — Israel gives them hope.
It is often said that the Jewish people are hated in the Middle East. That is true — but it is only part of the story.
In truth, hatred for minorities of all kinds is woven into the fabric of many regimes and societies across the region. From the Yazidis slaughtered by ISIS to the Christians driven from their ancestral homelands, from the Kurds betrayed time and again, to the Baha’i persecuted in Iran — the Middle East has long been a graveyard for its minorities.
The Druze, Assyrians, Copts, Maronites, Armenians — they have all endured massacres, exile, and systemic discrimination. In nearly every Arab or Islamic state, minorities live in fear, silence, or exile. Their houses of worship are bombed, their languages erased, their communities scattered.
But one country stands apart: Israel.
Israel, the only Jewish state, is also the only Middle Eastern country where minorities can live freely, vote, speak their language, and serve in government and the military. Israeli Druze and Christians sit in the Knesset. Arab Israelis serve on the Supreme Court.
The Baha’i faith, banned and persecuted in its birthplace Iran, finds sanctuary and its world center in Haifa. Kurds, whose dream of independence is crushed across the region, look to Israel with admiration and solidarity.
Israel’s victory against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran’s proxies is not just a win for the Jewish people. It is a win for every minority fighting to survive in a region dominated by oppressive majorities. Every time Israel stands strong, it sends a message: You can be a minority and not be a victim. You can be free, proud, and armed with moral clarity.
Israel’s light shines not only for the Jews — but for every people who dreams of dignity, freedom, and a future in the Middle East.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00NEWSRAEL Telling the Israeli Storyhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngNEWSRAEL Telling the Israeli Story2025-05-11 14:27:472025-05-11 14:52:33Netanyahu on Trump: “We speak every few days!”
Because radicalized students and agitators have been able to target Jews with little or no pushback, it should come as no surprise that progressive activists have broadened their scope to harass and abuse others with differing ideologies or political affiliations.
I was asked during a reception at a recent speaking engagement whether I was shocked at the rise of political violence in the US – where elected officials incite it with words or condone it by silence. I responded that violence masquerading as political expression is neither new nor rare and that the current trend was presaged by the rise in violent antisemitism against Jewish university students, businesses and institutions, and by the acceptance of genocidal rhetoric as virtuous over the last couple of decades – and especially since October 7th.
Those who chant “free Palestine” are not seeking independence for a nation that does not exist, but the destruction of one that does. Indeed, the slogan is a call for extermination; and yet is tolerated with blasé acceptance – and often encouraged – by the progressive mainstream.
And these are often the same people who scream “death to America,” thus illustrating that Jews are still the proverbial canary in the coal mine when it comes to attracting frontline extremist hatred. While prominent conservative voices have condemned the recent wave of violence against Jews, many were nonetheless surprised when it spread to other targets, including Tesla owners and dealers, Republican party offices and officials, and corporate executives like UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, whose murder by a progressive extremist has been lauded by many on the left.
When purveyors of hate discovered they could harass Jews without consequence (and with the approval of many in the progressive political, academic and media establishments), they knew they could attack anybody perceived as ideologically or culturally divergent (usually conservative or anti-woke) without fear of consequence. And when anti-Jewish violence drew neither censure nor punishment from radical prosecutors or prominent Democrats, there was nothing to restrain leftist brownshirts from assaulting anyone they chose to vilify and dehumanize – even as they employed Orwellian doublespeak to accuse their victims of fascism for asserting the right to speak freely, advocating democratic principles, or condemning antisemitism.
Irony is entirely lost on useful idiots who demonstrate little capacity for moral clarity or logical consistency. And they advertise their idiocy whenever they scream “intifada now” or “death to America,” lobby in support of Hamas, or perpetrate antisemitic violence on university campuses across North America – all in the service of Islamists who hate everything these moral dilletantes stand for.
It is the height of absurdity when progressives who denounce their own religious traditions as evil turn around and embrace a radical faith-based hatred of all things Jewish and western – and all the more so when they glorify murder, rape, and kidnapping as noble acts of “resistance.”
Those who justify antisemitism, call for the destruction of Israel and western society, and endorse revisionist Palestinian Arab mythology include socialists, radical feminists, “queers for Palestine,” communist wannabes, and other extremist activists who blindly channel the rejectionist tropes of militant Islam. Without a hint of self-awareness, they legitimize religious doctrines under which they would be oppressed, subjugated, beheaded, or thrown off buildings by the same savage terrorists they regard as ideological confederates. Though they may share a common hatred of Jews and Israel, they would be among the first casualties in any Sharia state.
More frightening than the violence and unrest that have become so pervasive is the refusal of many liberals, including prominent Democratic politicians, to condemn violence against conservatives and others who oppose the woke agenda (despite its resounding rejection by the American electorate last November). In interview after interview, Congressional Democrats have refused to condemn brazen acts of arson, vandalism, or physical assault against perceived enemies of the left or violence against Jewish students and faculty that has continued unabated on college campuses.
It seems liberals have no problem condemning right-wing extremists for racism while giving leftist antisemites a free pass on faux constitutional grounds. Indeed, many invoke the First Amendment to shield progressives who spew hatred against Israel; riot in support of Hamas; call for the Jews’ extermination; repackage ancient blood libels as false claims of genocide in Gaza; harass Jewish university students without fear of arrest; or spout antisemitic rhetoric in the halls of Congress without serious rebuke by party hierarchy.
This double standard is tantamount to saying, “your bigots must be silenced, but ours have the right express themselves through words and violent deeds.”
Not only is this chutzpah, but it also mischaracterizes the First Amendment, especially when asserted to protect institutions that encourage antisemitic excess while simultaneously curtailing any speech they find disagreeable. Many (if not most) liberal universities have codes of conduct restricting speech that might offend progressive sensibilities regarding race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, pronoun usage, or any other social flashpoint of identity politics. Such restrictions are based on priorities held sacrosanct by progressives and designed to silence opposing viewpoints. Under many such policies, students and faculty can be penalized for stating simple scientific truths (e.g., that there are only two biological sexes), expressing conservative values, or defending Israel’s right to exist.
Though antisemitic demonstrators who engage in campus violence claim the benefit of Constitutional safeguards, the First Amendment does not protect incitement or criminality. This principle was firmly articulated by the US Supreme Court in Brandenburg v. Ohio, which upheld restrictions against speech likely to incite “imminent lawless action.”
Given that incitement is not protected speech – and that the Constitution has never been interpreted to shield acts of lawlessness or violence – the Trump administration was within its rights to withhold federal funds from universities that permit antisemitic activism on campus and fail or refuse to protect Jewish students. The receipt of federal funds by private universities is not a fundamental right, but rather a discretionary, conditional entitlement bestowed by the executive branch; and if recipient institutions permit violent antisemitism and deny Jewish students equal protection, the President certainly has the authority to stop the flow of funding.
It seems, however, that many Democrats disagree, as they are circling the wagons and exhorting these institutions to resist the Trump administration – and implicitly by extension, its Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. Perhaps most prominently, Harvard University rebuffed Trump’s demands aimed at eliminating campus antisemitism (among other things) – despite the threat of a multibillion-dollar funding freeze.
Rather than concede the reality of antisemitism, liberal champions of Harvard and similar institutions are urging resistance, including Barack Obama, who posted the following statement on X:
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions — rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”
Such statements beg the question of how demanding the cessation of campus antisemitism and protection of Jewish students could in any way “stifle academic freedom.”
How does allowing calls to exterminate the Jewish nation contribute to “an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect”? Would Obama and others who advocate resistance against President Trump’s efforts to eradicate campus hate be concerned about stifling academic freedom if the victims were black, Hispanic, female, gay, trans, Arab, or Muslim?
It is hypocritical to claim that Trump is somehow threatening academic integrity at universities which for years have used conduct codes and threats of probation, suspension, or expulsion to stifle speech they find disagreeable when it contradicts progressive dogma. Rather than encourage the free exchange of ideas, many institutions have become incubators of intolerance, narrow-mindedness and hatred, where dissent is quashed by systemic bullying and indoctrination that evokes totalitarian excess.
Those who passionately exhort universities to resist Trump’s efforts to eliminate campus antisemitism are not defending academic freedom. In fact, they are enabling extremism, excusing incitement and violence, legitimizing anti-Jewish and anti-western hatred, and reinforcing dictatorial impulses.
Given the influence such institutions have on society and in grooming future leaders, it should come as little surprise that their role in enabling or failing to curb Jew-hatred has normalized intolerance against all. And because radicalized students and agitators have been able to target Jews with little or no pushback, it should likewise come as no surprise that progressive activists have broadened their scope to harass and abuse others with differing ideologies or political affiliations.
Similar radicalization occurred in pre-war Nazi Germany, where institutions of higher learning were often cesspools of antisemitic indoctrination and the philosophy of dehumanization provided an intellectual predicate for genocide. Perhaps not surprisingly, many American universities at the time provided fertile ground for nurturing and disseminating similar loathsome views.
Only a dullard could fail to see the symmetry between then and now; and only a fool could fail to understand that what starts with the Jews doesn’t always end with the Jews.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Matthew Hausman, J.D.http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngMatthew Hausman, J.D.2025-05-11 11:28:412025-05-11 11:36:50What Starts With The Jews Doesn’t Always End With The Jews
J.C. Sheppard fights back against a mass-killing drug.
This new Glazov Gang episode features J.C. Sheppard, the founder of ‘The Fentanyl Test’, the world’s first FDA-CLEARED dip-card test, and Harm Reduction test strip, for over-the-counter use. Visit him on TheFentanylTest.com.
J.C. discusses The Fentanyl Test to the Rescue, shedding light on his battle against a mass-killing drug.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Jamie Glazovhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJamie Glazov2025-05-11 05:38:312025-05-11 05:40:09The Fentanyl Test to the Rescue
The U.S. sent billions in famine relief to Yemen. During the famine, the population rose 30%. And Yemen’s Houthis used our money to go to war against us.
In May 2024, the Biden administration announced that it was providing $220 million in aid to Yemen which the United States had been at war with since the start of that year.
Even while the US Navy was engaged in what the Associated Press would describe next month as the “most intense combat since World War II” with Yemen’s Houthi Jihadists, the U.S. Mission to Yemen boasted of having provided “nearly $5.9 billion” in aid beginning with the Obama administration, of being “the largest donor of humanitarian assistance” and urged that “other donors must join us in stepping up” to fund an Iranian-backed terror group at war with us.
A terror group whose motto, like its Iranian patrons, is “Death to America.”
One arm of the United States government, the Pentagon, was fighting the Houthis, while another arm, the State Department and USAID, were funding them. While Navy personnel on board US Navy vessels had seconds to prepare and counter Houthi strikes, State Department and USAID personnel worked to keep the Houthi’s Hodeidah port open so more “aid” could pass through it. The US Navy was not allowed to strike Hodeidah even though it was the Houthi lifeline for the weapons that the Houthis were using to attack American and other vessels.
The Biden administration had ended President Trump’s support for Saudi action against the Houthis and lavished a fortune on the terrorist areas because terrorist supporters and international groups had falsely claimed that Yemen was suffering from a deadly famine.
Before Islamic terrorist supporters, their leftist allies and international aid groups faked a famine in Gaza to save Hamas, #YemenFamine was trending on social media along with photos of wounded and starving children. Much as in Gaza, there was no famine. Rather the Houthis were seizing international aid which they then resold to create food shortages. The more aid came in, the more the Houthis seized. The fake famine was used to mount an international pressure campaign to end the attacks on the Houthis and send billions of dollars in relief to Yemen.
Massive shipments of urea, a fertilizer also used in explosives, were allowed into Yemen to help grow crops and stop the mythical famine. Even though urea was proscribed, the shipments were not interfered with in the name of ending the famine that wasn’t happening. Along with the urea came ammonium perchlorate which is used in rocket fuel. The rockets being fired at US Navy vessels were fueled by the famine lie. False claims of a famine were a tool of war.
By 2018, over $4 billion in humanitarian aid had poured into Yemen. The UN’s World Food Program, which would later invent and become the loudest voice promoting the Gaza famine hoax, operated 5,000 distribution sites to supposedly aid 10 million people whom it claimed were facing emergency conditions, but could only track 1 in 5 of its food basket allotments.
In 2017, two-thirds of those who were supposed to be receiving food had not gotten anything.
In one Houthi province, the UN sent twice as much food as the people needed, and came away claiming that the majority of the population was still in desperate need of food.
The WFP, and even the AP eventually admitted that the Houthis were taking much of the food. The Houthis created fake lists of starving people who needed food. International aid groups resorted to sending money so that Yemenis could buy the food aid that was being resold.
Even though all of this was well known, the Biden administration kept on sending more aid five years later. The money didn’t go to the people: it went to the Houthis at war with America.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s first order of business was taking the Houthis off the list of foreign terrorist organizations, making it legal to fund them, despite “their reprehensible conduct, including attacks against civilians and the kidnapping of American citizens” because of “the humanitarian consequences” that would take place in Yemen. Even as the Houthis went to war against America, “humanitarian aid” provisions protected the delivery of fuel, and the port and airport operations that allowed the Houthis to get more money and weapons.
Earlier this year, the UN demanded $2.47 billion for its 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. In February, the Houthis killed a WFP worker (an event that got far less publicity than the deaths of aid workers in Gaza), but in April, the WFP expressed outrage that the United States was finally, at least temporarily, pausing aid and would not be allocating over $100 million in funds to the enemy region at war with the United States.
After 9 years of non-stop famine (and billions in spending), 17 million people are facing acute hunger in Yemen. That’s up from 15.9 million people in 2019.
Since the famine began, Yemen’s population shot up from 30 million to 39 million.
Having a population increase by 10 million or 30% during a famine is unprecedented. What accounts for this Yemeni miracle? Miraculously, Yemen’s population rose sharply as an unprecedented wave of foreign aid poured into this country. It’s unknown how many of these miracle births were real or fake names to collect yet more humanitarian aid for the hungry.
After the latest round of airstrikes, a Yemeni man interviewed on camera, chanted, “Death to America” and bragged that “our country is fortified with the skulls of American demons.”
More accurately, it’s fortified with $5.9 billion in American taxpayer money.
Since Yemen’s population seem to have figured out how to increase by a third during a famine affecting half their population, they clearly don’t need any more help from us, which should be used to help actual starvation victims in African countries that can’t just pump oil from the ground. Not only should we stop sending aid to Yemen, we should block all further aid.
If we don’t want to be in a perpetual war over passage through the Red Sea or depend on the goodwill of a terrorist group for access to it, we should cut off the money to the terrorists.
And while Iran has supplied the Houthis with weapons and money, in Yemen, much as in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza, much of the money going to the terrorists comes from us.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2025-05-11 05:07:372025-05-11 05:11:44While Biden Pentagon Was Fighting the Houthis, the Biden State Department and USAID Were Funding Them
The article below is from Florida Citizens Alliance.
Infighting over the budget is also main reason why special session was called.
FL Legislative session for 2025 will prove even worse than failed 2024 session thanks to FL House Speaker Perez and Senate President Albritton along with Senate Rules Committee led by last year’s Senate President Passidomo who killed the top 10 Legislative priority bills in 2024.
This year, they really went after Gov DeSantis’s anti-woke agenda as well as his original support for Trump’s immigration plan producing a very flawed “Trump Act” (Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act) which did nothing to stop illegals from registering for and voting in elections nor assisting with Trump’s deportation efforts not to mention a $600M price tag including 80 new LE officers for RINO Wilton Simpson’s Ag, Dept, allegedly to “secure FL’s borders” rather than being assigned to DeSantis’s existing election crimes unit.
Bills which favor pro development (in face of lagging infrastructure) and declining rural areas have also passed. Follow the money.
Recommend you take a look at the Republican Liberty Caucuses (RLC) Freedom Index Report for 2025 when it comes out. It will show this session results even worse than in 2024.
Infighting among the House, the Senate, and the Governor derailed what could have been a successful legislative session in protecting children’s mental health. Many of FLCA’s priority bills that would have taken steps to empower parents, teachers, and students were also stalled on the Senate Side due to this infighting. Some examples of this were HB 1505/SB 1288 and HB 1539/SB 1692. An important bill amendment that would have taught human fetal development education starting in middle grades was also removed last second by Senator Calatayud (R-Miami Dade) on HB 1255.
Each Branch played a role in this fight, where major priorities for leadership were also stalled. It is truly amazing how all three branches snatched defeat from so many recent years of “Florida First”!
We achieved victories such as the stoppage of multiple bills that would have had bad outcomes and rolling back important steps we have taken over the past several years to protect children and drive better learning outcomes. An example of a bill we were able to successfully stop was SB 370 and HB 219, which would have required certain health screenings for students without parental approval.
Another victory we had was the passage of SB 7016, which changes the rules related to petition gathering for constitutional amendments. This bill will have a long-lasting impact on protecting our constitutional amendment process from bad actors who have taken advantage of it over the past few election cycles.
Also, while typically not in our education or child-focused lane, we also saw the passage of the gold and silver bills that passed both chambers.
For more information on the legislative session, please watch out for our first legislative scorecard. We will be releasing our scorecard early this summer.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Royal A. Brown IIIhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngRoyal A. Brown III2025-05-11 04:51:132025-05-11 04:59:35Infighting Among Repbulicans in the Forida House Fails to Protect Kids
Regardless, I still am of the opinion that women should not serve in direct ground combat positions e.g. infantry, front line artillery, armor, cavalry, combat engineers nor Ranger, LRRP, Force Recon, Special Forces/Delta type operations units.
All soldiers can expect to do more push-ups, and women in combat jobs will have to pick up the pace in a two-mile run as much as three minutes faster, under the Army’s new fitness requirements.
“There are a couple of age brackets where your minimum run time, you might have to run about 30 seconds faster in order to pass. There are a couple of areas where you’ve got to do more hand-release push-ups,” Command Sgt. Major Stephanie Carl told Task & Purpose.
The Army released new scorecards Friday that lay out the requirements of the new ‘sex-neutral’ standards announced last month. The cards cover mandatory performance for all five events of the new Army Fitness test under two categories: one labeled “M/C” for male and all combat soldiers,s and another as “F” for female, which is for non-combat female soldiers.
Under the re-branded Army Fitness Test, AFT, soldiers will have to complete a three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-ups, the sprint-drag-carry, plank, and a two-mile run. The new test got rid of the standing power throw, more informally referred to as the ‘yeet’ event.
To pass the AFT, combat soldiers will have to earn a score of 350 points in total which averages out to between 60 and 70 points in each event.
“You’re required to get 60 points in each event so if I know that I’m only getting 65 points in one of my events, I’m gonna have to make up that difference somewhere else and do more than 70 in another event in order to balance it,” Carl said.
Under the old scoring card, soldiers across all ages were required to do 10 hand-release push-ups to pass the event with 60 points. Now, all combat soldiers, and all men, 17 to 21 will have to do 15 push-ups. Those between 22 to 31 will have to do 14 push-ups. Non-combat female soldiers in those age ranges will have to do 11.
To get 60 points for the two-mile run, all female soldiers between 17 and 21 previously had to run within 23 minutes and 22 seconds. But under the new fitness test, all combat soldiers will have to run two miles within 19 minutes and 57 seconds — a decrease in time for women of more than three minutes. Non-combat male soldiers will also have to run the event nearly two minutes faster than they were required to previously.
“We’ve raised the bar for combat MOSs, ensuring these soldiers are physically prepared for the intense demands of their roles,” Sgt. Major. Christopher Mullinax said in a statement. “The standardized scoring tables encourage all soldiers to achieve a higher level of overall fitness.”
For non-combat MOSes, soldiers have to score a minimum of 300 points with 60 in each event.
The Army Fitness Test became the Army’s “test of record” June 1 but soldiers in the 21 combat military occupational specialties will not face adverse actions for failing their tests until Jan. 1, 2026. If combat soldiers don’t score a 350 after their second test attempt, they may be forced to reclassify into a new job.
“We do recognize there are some events that soldiers are going to have to work a little bit harder if they weren’t training consistently,” Carl said. “If you were a soldier who was just hitting the minimum on some of these events now, well, your minimum might have gone up and so you’re going to have to work a little bit harder to achieve that minimum.”
To get 60 points for the deadlift, women in combat roles and all male soldiers 17 to 31 will have to lift 150 pounds, 10 pounds more than they did previously. Female soldiers of the same ages will still have to deadlift 120 pounds.
The time required to hold a plank remained the same for all soldiers.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Royal A. Brown IIIhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngRoyal A. Brown III2025-05-11 04:30:542025-05-11 04:32:34Army’s New PT Test Standards
Fox News State Department correspondent Gillian Turner has the latest on the discovery of an alleged Iranian nuclear facility on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Fox News has exclusively obtained satellite imagery revealing what an opposition group says is a previously undisclosed Iranian nuclear weapons facility — raising fresh concerns amid ongoing negotiations between Tehran and the Trump administration.
The newly identified site, located in Iran’s Semnan Province, is far from the regime’s already-known nuclear facilities. According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), intelligence gathered from sources inside the country points to a sprawling compound covering nearly 2,500 acres.
Code-named the “Rainbow Site” by Iranian officials, the facility has reportedly been in operation for more than a decade, masked as a chemical production company known as Diba Energy Siba.
Alleged Iranian nuclear weapons facility
Code-named the “Rainbow Site” by Iranian officials, this site spans nearly 2,500 acres and has been operating for over a decade under the cover of a chemical production company called Diba Energy Siba. (National Council of Resistance of Iran)
According to NCRI sources, the primary function of the Rainbow Site is the extraction of tritium — a radioactive isotope used to enhance nuclear weapons. Unlike uranium enrichment, tritium has virtually no peaceful or commercial applications, casting further doubt on Iran’s longstanding claims that its nuclear ambitions are solely for energy or civilian use.
The revelations come as the Trump administration navigates sensitive negotiations with Tehran. When asked about the U.S. position on whether Iran can maintain a nuclear enrichment program short of weapons development, President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday, “We haven’t made that decision yet. We will, but we haven’t made that decision yet.”
Despite the bombshell intelligence, senior officials maintain optimism. Vice President JD Vance, speaking Tuesday, said the talks remain on track.
An overhead view of an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons facility
“Without prejudging the negotiation, I will say, so far, so good,” Vance told reporters. “We’ve been very happy with how the Iranians have responded to some of the points that we’ve made.”
The discovery of the Rainbow Site could complicate the already delicate diplomacy surrounding Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the possibility of a renewed agreement.
Gillian Turner currently serves a dual role as anchor and State Department and foreign policy correspondent on FOX News Channel (FNC). She joined the network as a contributor in 2014 and is based in Washington.
President Trump requested $9.3 billion in rescissions, targeting programs like the State Department, USAID, PBS, and NPR. Congress was expected to vote on this, with Republican support aiming to codify cuts suggested by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
That vote was cancelled.
If Congress doesn’t approve the recissions request within 45 days of receiving it, Trump will be legally required to release the money back to the agencies.
Congress was scheduled to vote on rescissions this week to cut waste and fraud identified by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), targeting programs like USAID, PBS, and NPR. However, these votes were quietly canceled. No specific reasons for the cancellation were detailed in the available information, leaving the decision unclear. Some X posts expressed frustration, suggesting a lack of political will among Republicans to follow through on codifying DOGE’s proposed cuts. The rescissions were intended to formalize DOGE’s findings, which included billions in alleged waste, such as improper payments and fraudulent contracts, through a fast-track process under the Impoundment Control Act that requires only a simple majority in the Senate. Despite the cancellation, there’s no indication of rescheduling, and the issue remains a point of contention, with some lawmakers advocating for Congress to act to make DOGE’s cuts permanent.
What’s going on in DC? Why won’t the GOP majority get these rescissions passed?
The White House reportedly briefed congressional staffers last month on the proposal — a sweeping effort to claw back billions of taxpayer dollars and dismantle corrupt bureaucracies like USAID, which Trump has already folded into the State Department under Secretary Marco Rubio.
Among the top targets in the package:
$8.3 billion in foreign aid, largely through the now-defunct USAID, an agency President Trump has shut down and folded into the State Department.
$1.1 billion in funding for NPR and PBS, which Trump officials have labeled “far-left indoctrination machines funded by taxpayers.”
The White House will soon ask Congress to cancel $9.3 billion already approved for foreign aid initiatives, public broadcasting and other programs, according to a White House official granted anonymity to speak freely.
Congress is expected to receive that so-called rescissions request when lawmakers return from their two-week recess later this month. To nix the funding, the House and Senate will each have to vote at a simple-majority threshold to approve the formal ask.
The White House package is expected to target funding for the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Institute of Peace and other programs, along with assistance to PBS and NPR through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
It would answer a call from congressional Republicans, who have ramped up their demands in recent months to defund public media companies for alleged bias against conservatives in programming and coverage. The CEOs of PBS and NPR testified at a hearing in March before the House Oversight subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency — the panel of lawmakers tasked with working in tandem with Elon Musk’s DOGE.
A Trump administration document obtained Monday also shows the White House is considering a larger request to revoke funding for the State Department and USAID, as well as asking Congress to cut those budgets by almost half for the upcoming fiscal year.
Congressional Republicans have been asking President Donald Trump and other administration officials for more a month now to send over a formal rescissions package, which would allow lawmakers to approve or reject specific funding cuts. There are efforts on Capitol Hill to bring legitimacy to moves by the White House to freeze billions of dollars in federal funding, which keep running up against a barrage of lawsuits. Some GOP senators have even directly appealed to Elon Musk for the chance to codify the spending cuts he’s made through his Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
But just because GOP lawmakers asked for a rescissions package doesn’t mean the $9.3 billion request will be swiftly approved. When Trump sent a request in 2018 to claw back $15 billion, the Senate rejected the plan. And not all Republicans support cutting funding for all the programs Trump would target in the new request.
If Congress doesn’t approve the recissions request within 45 days of receiving it, Trump will be legally required to release the money back to the agencies.
Last year, as the 2023-2024 academic year came to an end, I was feeling fortunate to be teaching at the Rochester Institute of Technology, a school that had successfully stopped the anti-Israel madness that had taken over much of academia. Since several friends had children who were completing their degrees, I decided to attend the graduation ceremony, something I hadn’t done since the pandemic.
But marching in an academic ceremony posed a problem since faculty are expected to wear their academic regalia. My New York University doctoral robe stands out in a crowd. It is purple (for the NYU Violets, truly a fearsome mascot) with black panels bearing 2 badges with the school’s symbol and the year 1831 denoting its founding year. But as an NYU alumnus who is somewhere between disillusioned and disgusted with my alma mater, I have lost the pride I once felt wearing it.
NYU has been on a downward spiral in the last two decades, becoming a hub of anti-Israel activism. With its Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, Iranian Studies Initiative, and Middle East and Islamic Studies department, NYU is the embodiment of the Palestinization of academia. In 2020, after it had become clear that NYU had turned against Israel in every conceivable way, I began referring to it as the Gaza of Greenwich Village.
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I could have rented a plain black doctoral robe and blended in with the crowd, but instead I chose to wear my outfit, after making a minor alteration signifying my feelings about NYU by attaching a 2″ x 3″ Israeli flag over one of the torch badges. Call it restorative justice.
I considered using hook-and-loop tape to secure it, but in order to make it more permanent, I sewed it on. I was ready for the ceremony.
When the chair of my department couldn’t attend the ceremony and asked for volunteers to take his place, I offered to fill in.
In the end, I was tasked with walking in the procession, leading the English majors on stage, and then shaking their hands while giving them their “diplomas” (faux leather slip covers with a letter indicating that their actual diplomas would arrive soon).
Considering all the garish outfits academics wear at convocations, a minor alteration such as mine probably went largely unnoticed. From those who did notice, I received a few evil-eyed glares, but no one said anything negative to me. In fact, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive – quite a few thumbs up, a couple high fives, and many knowing smiles. One colleague hugged me with tears in her eyes.
I later wondered what would have happened if I had worn the outfit to an NYU graduation, or an Ivy League graduation.
RIT has no Middle East studies department and no SJP chapter. Very few of the faculty are in favor of eliminating Israel and promoting Hamas. According to the AMCHA Anti-Zionist Barometer, RIT has a nearly perfect record of 0 or “Negligible” with “Little to no anti-Zionist faculty presence/activity found.” It has no “Faculty for Justice in Palestine” (FJP) chapter, has issued no FJP statements, and held no FJP activities. No departments have issued statements condemning or calling for an academic boycott of Israel. The only stain on its otherwise-perfect record comes from five faculty members who have “endorsed a publicly-accessible statement or petition in support of an academic boycott of Israel.”
By contrast, NYU is at the top of the AMCHA barometer, listed as the number 1 anti-Zionist campus in America, with the highest possible score of 5 or “Extreme.” It has a chapter of “Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine,” has held 30 FJP events and issued 14 FJP statements. Worst of all, NYU has 127 faculty boycotters (the most of any school on the barometer), making the NYU motto Perstare et Praestare (“To Persevere and Excel”) true but bitterly ironic.
Academics of America, if you have ever felt shame over how your profession has responded to October 7…
If you oppose an Intifada in America…
If you believe the terrorist organization Hamas must be annihilated…
If you believe Israel has a right to exist…
In short, if you are not a fashionable anti-Zionist…
Then I invite you to join me this graduation season by attaching an Israeli flag to your doctoral robe — on the left side, over your heart. Be part of a silent, dignified response to the last two years of protests, demonstrations, encampments, and intimidation masquerading as righteousness and protected under the aegis of academic freedom. Use your academic freedom to let the Mahmoud Khalils, Joseph Massads, and Bassam Haddads of the world know that you stand with Israel and against Hamas.
The more severe the anti-Zionism on your campus, the more courage it will take, but that’s where it is needed the most. And the more anti-Zionist the school where you earned your Ph.D., the better your robe will look.
An Israeli flag will help remove some of the antisemitic stink from a Yale University doctoral robe. The blue-on-blue color scheme looks good too.
And it matches perfectly with a baby blue Columbia University robe, where it is probably needed the most.
Send a photo of yourself in your properly-altered doctoral outfit, to aj@investigativeproject.org the Investigative Project on Terrorism and we’ll put it on our website. Extra points for photos from the ceremony.
And congratulations on completing the 2024-2025 academic year and standing up to the mob.
Chief IPT Political Correspondent A.J. Caschetta is a principal lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a fellow at Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum where he is also a Milstein fellow. This article has been cross-posted with the author’s permission from IPT News.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2025-05-10 06:06:592025-05-10 06:13:04How Academics Can Show Support for Israel at Graduation Ceremonies
I have never been so disgusted with a group of people as I am with this Do Nothing Useful congress. President Trump is getting knocked around daily, and congress does absolutely nothing. Do they not realize that 2 years is a very short time till the next election??
President Trump is doing Executive Order (EO) after EO, to get us out of the mess OBiden put us in, and Congress does what? Watches? If Congress doesn’t turn these EO’s into law, the next RINO or Democrat President can cancel them all! Once again, we will end up on the Carousel of Hell, going round and round, feeling like we’re ready to throw up already. We’ve all experienced this as kids. You know, you eat too many sweets and a milkshake or 2, and whoa, that awesome carousel. Yeah, round and round, and there you go!
Does Congress care? I think not. The Debt is meaningless to them. What’s a few more trillion to throw away? Elon Musk dared to take a hard look at the bloated, corrupt government agencies and what did he get for it?? His cars and showrooms were torched. His stock took a serious slide, and Congress did nothing. Actually, they made it worse, by refusing to make the DOGE cuts permanent.
President Trump has over 200 lawsuits filed against the administration. The judges who should be defunded or impeached will always side with the Left. They could care less what happens to America, they only want to “GET TRUMP”. Do you realize that by getting Trump, they are really destroying Americans? They are greedy, and don’t care. Here is an action alert from Dr. Rich Swier:
TAKE ACTION: Tell your members of Congress to DEFUND ACTIVIST FEDERAL COURT JUDGES
PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS AND ON ALL OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
Remember: It takes 67 votes in the U.S. Senate to impeach activist Federal Court Judges. However it takes 50 votes, plus JD Vance, to defund and eliminate all of them! Call your Senators and Representatives today, and tell them to defund them all NOW!!
Florida has finally recognized the biggest lie of them all, “The Covid Vaccine is safe” Lie. Governor De Santis is being proactive in dealing with both CHEMTRAILS and COVID injections. Where is Congress?? Where is the investigation into Fauci’s activities? Why are we paying that genocidal maniac $445,000 a year for his pension?
These issues and more, could be resolved if Congress was not full of RINOS. What is a RINO you ask? A RINO represents his donors, NOT his constituents. A RINO is a Republican In Name only, votes with the Left, and supports Socialist programs. I hope NC wakes up, Tom Tillis is my RINO of the week. Who is yours? Call Tom and tell him what you think.
Today’s show and podcast are dedicated to RINO REMOVAL!!! My 2 guests are Daniel Jens and Gem Balboa. They are giving us a RINO education, and suggestions on how to purge them from Congress.
Daniel wrote the RINO Song:
Play it at your next event.
Support President Trump, and make sure our students get a traditional American education. Phonics in K-3, Cursive in 3-5, Singapore Math, civics.
Guest: Daniel Jens, Director of Digital Communications, The RINO Removal Project (RRP)
Daniel Jens is the Director of Digital Communications at the RINO Removal Project (RRP), where he drives digital strategy through website SEO, blogging, and press outreach to advance the organization’s mission of restoring the Republican Party to its America First roots. Daniel uses his expertise in messaging and media to expose corrupt RINOs, educate voters, and fuel grassroots momentum nationwide.
Outside of his work with RRP, Daniel is the co-founder of Child Care Biz Help (CCBH), a leading church childcare consultant and national firm that helps entrepreneurs and ministries start childcare centers. CCBH serves as a franchise alternative, empowering clients to own and operate fully customized childcare businesses without the 6-12% annual royalties, restrictions, or limitations of traditional franchising.
A U.S. Army combat veteran and former finalist on America’s Got Talent, Daniel was also signed by Sony Music and performed nationally as a founding member of the patriotic vocal group 4TROOPS. Today, he continues to use his voice and platform for truth—most recently as the songwriter behind “The RINO Song” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX49ZfIOSAc
RINO Song – Exposing Fake Republicans with a Country Diss Track!
A viral country-style diss track that directly calls out high-profile Republicans In Name Only.
Daniel’s rare combination of military discipline, entrepreneurial drive, artistic talent, and unapologetic patriotism makes him a powerful advocate for the conservative movement and the next generation of American leadership.
Guest: Gem Balboa is from New York and is a father of 3. He is one of 4 Executives heading up and running the RINO Removal project, a new organization founded at the start of this year to aid the Trump agenda and hold fake deceitful politicians accountable. Gem is an America First Patriot and devout constitutionalist fighting to preserve American core values for future generations.
Alcatraz Island, a rocky outcrop in the San Francisco Bay, has a storied history as one of America’s most infamous penitentiaries. However, it closed in 1963 and transformed into a tourist hotspot, attracting millions yearly. Now, as part of his crackdown on crime, President Donald Trump is pushing to revive its original purpose as a high-security prison, aligning with his aggressive vision to restore “law and order” to America.
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” he wrote on Truth Social. “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.” He emphasized that America was once “a more serious nation,” where “we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm.” That, he insisted, is “how it’s supposed to be,” vowing that his administration will no longer allow Americans to be “held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job.”
“The reopening of ALCATRAZ,” Trump concluded, “will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.” And as it turns out, this is exactly what the American people want from the Trump administration. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten highlighted statistics to back it up.
“This speaks to one of Trump’s best issues, right? The idea of Alcatraz,” Enten said. “You think law and order — you think Donald Trump.” Citing an Ipsos poll, he highlighted Trump’s net approval rating on handling crime at +2 points, a stark contrast to Joe Biden’s -26 points. “You rarely ever see it,” Enten remarked.
He continued, “So Donald Trump ran, in part, on law and order. It was one of the reasons that he got elected. And at this particular point, Americans like what they’re hearing from him on the issue of crime.” It’s all in the numbers, he added, “And you see this right here, with a plus two net approval rating — far better than Joe Biden left office with back in 2024.” But the report didn’t end there.
CNN took into consideration a different poll, comparing how Americans viewed Trump’s handling of crime from his first term to his second. In doing so, Enten explained, “We see that Donald Trump’s net approval rating on handling crime is far better now at plus two points.” During his first term, Trump was “underwater at -13 points.” So, now, “he’s doing 15 points better in terms of how people are viewing his handling of crime now than he was doing” before.
Enten tied it all together: “[W]hen you hear Donald Trump talking about stuff like Alcatraz — yes, I know it’s late-night fodder for a lot of different folks — but what it actually speaks to is Donald Trump focusing the American people’s attention on an issue in which they actually do like what he’s doing.” The Ipsos poll cited by Enten reflects the growing public frustration with rising crime rates in general. For example, beyond Alcatraz, Trump’s crime agenda dovetails with his immigration policies, which were another cornerstone of his 2024 campaign.
The Washington Stand reported that Trump has already taken significant steps to secure the U.S. border, including reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, ending catch-and-release, designating criminal syndicates like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations or criminal enterprises, and leveraging the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport illegal immigrants. Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security introduced a new incentive: a $1,000 stipend for illegal immigrants who voluntarily self-deport using the CBP Home app.
Notably, Trump’s immigration crackdown first prioritized those with criminal records, particularly violent offenders. In his first 100 days, his administration has focused on deporting individuals convicted of serious crimes, a policy that aligns with the Alcatraz proposal’s emphasis on isolating dangerous individuals.
Whether the reopening of Alcatraz comes to fruition or serves as a rhetorical lightning rod, the proposal has already succeeded in refocusing public attention on crime, an issue that continues to shape the political landscape in 2025.
The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Family Research Councilhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngFamily Research Council2025-05-09 15:07:292025-05-09 15:51:41American Public Backs Trump’s Crackdown on Crime
Students at Stanford University have allegedly uncovered a pattern of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempting to gain sensitive information about American research.
CCP agents reportedly impersonate students at the university to gain trust from students and staff and steal information as part of a “nontraditional collection effort,” while others are already connected with Chinese nationals studying in the U.S., according to The Stanford Review. The report states that several Chinese students studying at Stanford are currently acting as spies for the CCP.
Those affiliated with the CCP attempt to gain access to sensitive STEM research, particularly AI, as well as gather intel into U.S. research on China, the Review reported.
In one instance, a Chinese agent impersonated a student at the university and attempted to pressure a Stanford student, who was involved in “sensitive research on China,” into flying to Beijing, the Review found. The man advised the student to limit her trip to between 24 to 144 hours “to avoid visa scrutiny by authorities” and tried to keep communications solely on a CCP-monitored app.
After the student tipped off authorities, it was revealed the man had apparently been impersonating a Stanford student for years and had targeted multiple students, mainly women focused on China-related research, the Review said.
One “China expert” who spoke to the Stanford Review claimed that several of the university’s Chinese students are actively reporting information back to the CCP. More than 1,000 Chinese nationals study at Stanford.
“Many Chinese [nationals] have handlers; they [CCP] want to know everything that’s going on at Stanford,” one unnamed Chinese national attending Stanford told the Review. “This is a very normal thing. They just relay the information they have.”
In 2020, Stanford student researcher and Chinese national Chen Song was indicted for attempting to conceal her affiliation with the Chinese military. During her time in the U.S., the student allegedly sent multiple updates on her research in medical science to Chinese government officials.
Despite her crime carrying the penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, Song’s charges were dropped under the Biden administration over technicalities stemming from a visa application question.
Suspicions of Chinese spying at Stanford, a top research university, have been widespread for years, with the Select Committee on the CCP (SCCCP) warning the school in March of its need for transparency on the issue in March.
“Our nation’s universities, long regarded as the global standard for excellence and innovation, are increasingly used as conduits for foreign adversaries to illegally gain access to critical research and advanced technology,” the SCCCP wrote to Stanford president Jonathan Levin in March. “America’s student visa system has become a Trojan horse for Beijing, providing unrestricted access to our top research institutions and posing a direct threat to our national security. If left unaddressed, this trend will continue to displace American talent, compromise research integrity, and fuel China’s technological ambitions at our expense.
According to the committee, a “large influx of Chinese national students” flooding American universities has created “a growing national security challenge,” especially at schools such as Stanford. Despite about one third of all foreign STEM students studying in the U.S. being Chinese nationals, only about one quarter intend to remain in America post-graduation, with many immediately returning to China.
“The brain drain of critical expertise is not a coincidence but a reflection of Beijing’s explicit strategy to leverage academia for technological advancement,” the committee wrote.
Some Chinese students feel pressured to comply with CCP requests for information collection in order to maintain good standing with the government or because their education is being funded by CCP scholarships, the Review stated. About 15% of Chinese nationals attending American universities are reportedly funded by China. These funds can often be used to direct “students’ research priorities to align with state-sponsored research activities at Stanford.”
“The Chinese government spends a lot of time collecting data on its overseas students; it has a pretty good understanding of who is doing what and if someone is working in an area of interest [frontier technology],” Matthew Turpin, an American security analyst specializing in U.S.-China relations, told the Review. “If students have access to things the government would like access to, it is relatively easy to reach out to an individual. They use carrots and sticks. If you turn over information, you may get a reward; if you don’t, there is a punishment.”
When asked to comment, Stanford referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to a public statement released by the university in response to the Review’s article.
“Stanford takes its commitment to national security with the utmost seriousness, and we are acutely aware of the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party to all research universities,” the university wrote. “We are looking into the reports in the Stanford Review article, and have reached out to federal law enforcement to consult on appropriate actions.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Dr. Richard M. Swier, LTC U.S. Army (Ret.)http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Richard M. Swier, LTC U.S. Army (Ret.)2025-05-09 12:30:472025-05-17 05:07:46Students Reportedly Uncover Chinese Espionage At Top California University
The North Carolina Supreme Court election will result in the Democrat’s victory after the courts denied requiring some voters to prove they were eligible, which could have changed the results.
State Court Report: On May 7, Judge Jefferson Griffin conceded the 2024 election for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court to incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, the results of which he had contested since the race. Griffin’s concession came two days after a federal district court ordered the state board of elections to certify the results that existed prior to Griffin’s challenges, which had Riggs ahead by 734 votes.
That decision followed an April 11 order from the North Carolina high court, reversing in part and affirming in part the state appeals court ruling. Overruling the appellate court, the state supreme court concluded that voters with allegedly incomplete registrations should have their votes counted. The supreme court agreed with the appeals court that overseas voters who did not submit photo ID with their ballots must submit that ID to have their ballots counted, but the justices extended to 30 days the window to provide that information. The order affirmed the appeals court ruling that would discard the votes of children and dependents of military servicemembers and other overseas families who inherited residence from their families.
The margin was only 734 votes.
Every time. Another critical election hijacked by Democrats.
A federal district judge in North Carolina has ordered that the State Board of Elections (NCSBE) certify the election of Democrat incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, despite tens of thousands of questionable ballots being counted.
The race is the last one in the country left undecided after the November 2024 election.
U.S. Chief District Judge Richard Myers, an appointee of President Donald Trump, decided in a late Monday night decision that the Democrat-run NCSBE needed to allow Riggs the win, and threw out a state Supreme Court decision that would have thrown out between 1,675 and 5,700 ballots, according to the Carolina Journal, and put in place a “cure” process due in large part to insufficient identity documents provided upon voter registration. Overseas ballots sent without identification would also be allowed to be “cured.”
Roughly 267 ballots from voters who have never resided would have also been thrown out, but Myers preserved those, too.
Myers’ decision maintains Riggs’ current 734-vote lead that was achieved in the nine days after Election Day, as about 10,000 votes trickled in from overseas or were approved provisional ballots.
“IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the 1. Retroactive invalidation of absentee ballots cast by overseas military and civilian voters violates those voters’ substantive due process rights; 2. The cure process violates the equal protection rights of overseas military and civilian voters; and 3. The lack of any notice or opportunity for eligible voters to contest their mistaken designation as Never Residents violates procedural due process and represents an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote,” Myers decided.
Myers allowed the Republican candidate, state Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, one week to appeal the decision before it goes into effect.
Myers also addressed concerns about a federal court being brought in to resolve state issues, and said the issue rests on the idea that a state cannot change the rules of an election afterward and retroactively invalidate ballots. But that does not address concerns from election integrity advocates who say there is no way of knowing if the thousands of voters are actually eligible to vote.
“[T]he court wishes to make clear that this case is not about the prerogative of North Carolina courts to interpret North Carolina law. Without question, those courts ‘are the principal expositors of state law,’” he said. “This case is also not about North Carolina’s primacy to establish rules for future state elections; it may do so. Rather, this case concerns whether the federal Constitution permits a state to alter the rules of an election after the fact and apply those changes retroactively to only a select group of voters, and in so doing treat those voters differently than other similarly situated individuals.”
Griffin challenged over 65,000 ballots for lacking identification documents upon registration, as required by state law, but the lion’s share of those ballots would have been counted under the state high court’s process.
Despite admitting that the NCSBE’s “inattention and failure to dutifully conform its conduct to the law’s requirements is deeply troubling,” the state Supreme Court also said, “Because the responsibility for the technical defects in the voters’ registration rests with the Board and not the voters, the wholesale voiding of ballots cast by individuals who subsequently proved their identity to the Board by complying with the voter identification law would undermine the principle that ‘this is a government of the people, in which the will of the people — the majority — legally expressed, must govern.’”
However, the decision appears to side-step the fact that North Carolina’s voter ID law upon casting a ballot is notoriously weak.
Famed constitutional attorney and civil liberties advocate John Whitehead sounds off on Trump’s bizarre executive order signed April 28th.
The big news today is that Donald Trump has signed a trade deal with the United Kingdom.
Can you believe it? That was Trump’s “big announcement?” A trade deal with America’s ninth largest trading partner? Whoopee. I personally have never bought anything in any store that said “made in the UK” that I can remember.
Spare me. This is not news.
Those in the news business (they’re really professional propagandists) are also wanting us to have our eyes on the Vatican and who the next pope will be. Wow, an American liberal from Obama’s Chicago stomping grounds.
Here’s all you need to know about the new pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, from The Hill:
“The new pope is considered an ally of Francis, who made him the cardinal in charge of selecting and managing bishops around the world…Francis named Prevost in 2023 to be prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The role involves recommending candidates for bishops to the pope and overseeing the commission that studies the Catholic church in Latin America, according to the Catholic News Service.”
This confirms that the new pope will be as liberal and antagonistic to biblical truth as the previous pope. End of story. It reminds me of the 1971 song by The Who, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
The entire lyrics, written by Pete Townsend, are prophetic for our times, concluding with “Meet the new boss…Same as the old boss”
So, if it’s not the pope, what is the really big story we should be focused on this week? The one almost nobody is looking at?
Keep the lyrics in the song above in mind as we pivot from the pope to the president.
I’m looking at what the Trump administration is doing behind the scenes, behind all of the daily tweets, pressers and Truth Social posts, beyond all the comments about annexing Greenland and making Canada the 51st state, re-opening Alcatraz or jokes about him becoming the next pope. While taking up a copious amount of time and space on news outlets of the left and right, this frivolous chatter is carefully designed to keep us entertained and distracted.
When I read it, my first thought was: I wonder what John Whitehead thinks of this document?
Over the last 45 years, there has been nobody as consistently in the government’s face, holding it accountable for violating Americans’ civil liberties than John Whitehead. He has litigated countless important cases, some of them all the way to the Supreme Court, and he’s also a prolific author, having written books such as Battlefield America, The Eric Blair Diaries, and A Government of Wolves.
So I called him and the legendary constitutional expert and founder of the Rutherford Institute granted me a 20-minute interview.
The rest of this article will be focused on what Whitehead told me.
When I asked him to share his initial thoughts as he had read Trump’s executive order, here’s what he said:
“The first thing that hit me was George Washington’s statement, do not have a large standing army on American soil. It began with Obama and some of the other presidents. We began arming of the Department of Homeland Security, and all of their agents with all their military equipment, the MRAP (armored vehicles), the grenade launchers and all the various things they have. The final stage would have to be blending the local police into that process and connecting them (with the feds). And that’s exactly what this order does.”
If it gets implemented, this executive order “is basically martial law to enforce the president’s so-called priorities,” Whitehead said.
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prevents presidents from using the American military for a domestic police force, and Whitehead believes that’s exactly where our country is heading with this executive order, combined with previous executive orders by past presidents.
The groundwork has already been laid and the Hegelian Dialectic set.
First, we had Joe Biden who opened up the borders, invited every type of violent criminal imaginable into the country, while collaborating with liberal prosecutors funded by George Soros.
Naturally, crime has spiked dramatically in and around major U.S. cities over the last five years.
Americans are begging for relief.
Along comes the next president, Trump, and he brings an answer to the problem that is as extreme as the original, opposite action by Biden.
Biden basically wanted no police. Trump wants to expand law enforcement and empower police in ways never seen previously in America. His executive order calls for investing in new prisons, and minimizing due process rights. Trump said in an interview with Kristen Welker of NBC News this past Sunday that he does not know who in America is eligible for the due process rights written in the 5th and 14th Amendments.
In his rhetoric, Trump routinely heroizes and idolizes tough militarized police tactics.
“We’ve done so many cases over the years on how to hold police accountable for their crimes. Under this executive order, it would be very difficult to hold anyone accountable in a police uniform …so this (executive order) will allow police to do anything they want to do basically if the community allows it to happen.”
What if you disagree with a police officer who gives an unreasonable and unconstitutional order? Can you question him?
Well, the new executive order indicates you had better not risk it. Those who do can be slapped with “enhanced sentences” for committing “crimes against law enforcement officers.” Such crimes are left undefined.
“Originally, police were there to protect the people against criminals but also against invasions from federal authorities, but basically that’s all gone now,” Whitehead said.
He sees an ongoing “blending” of federal law enforcement with the state and local police forces, a concept heavily fortified by Trump’s April 28 executive order.
“It’s been moving in that direction but this thing finalizes it. I’ve talked with plenty of police chiefs over the years and they’ve been working really closely with the FBI, having them occupy spaces in their offices and stuff. There’s this idea that they have to get ready for an immediate crackdown,” he said. “Homeland Security is working with the local police and instructing them. Again, it’s a form of martial law.”
Whitehead points to a 5-minute video put out by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2016 titled “Megacities: Urban Future, the Emerging Complexities.”
The video has been used for training at the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations University. It predicts that by 2030 the population is not going to be able to sustain itself economically and everything is going to implode.
All that stands between the coming criminal chaos and the good people in major U.S. cities, the video suggests, is the U.S. Army.
Whitehead said it’s to the point where the American citizenry “has a very short window to push back on this. And the 10th amendment allows for this.”
The problem he sees, however, is how easily people are indoctrinated by President Trump.
“He starts off by saying how great and heroic the police are. I understand that and I’ve worked with (good cops) so much over the years, but there are also some with mental health problems and some are on drugs…. He refers to the police as the greatest of heroes. The actual heroes are the American people who pay the bills and often end up on the wrong side of these kind of operations.”
The EO also allows for more surveillance. Advanced AI-powered technology will allow cops to “predict” where the next crime will be committed and by whom. Throw in the Real ID, a biometric national ID card that Trump’s administration is pushing every state to comply with, and you have the makings for a future dictatorship already in place.
“Basically, it will all be algorithms and they can swoop in, knock your door down, and arrest you based on what they think you might do. It’s basically martial law implemented from Washington, DC. And the Trump administration is acting like the police are going to be the saviors.”
Trump has previously stated that he wants to give immunity to police and this executive order appears to do exactly that, stating in Section 3 that it will: “Strengthen and expand legal protections for law enforcement officers.”
Police already enjoy what’s called “qualified immunity” so exactly what Trump is offering them in expanded protections is unclear.
“The point is, he’s saying basically the police are going to be the gods ruling over us now. And they have an amazing amount of equipment and technology to do it,” Whitehead said. “The Democrats and Republicans both are deeply committed to this type of thing. They’re afraid to push back.”
“If you read over the founding fathers, they were very clear,” he added. “What kinds of rights do we have? When police come in what are they able to do to you?
“I’ve had an opportunity to know a number of really good police who’ve had training in the academy. They say it’s so militarized now. We’re dealing with a military police. It was never supposed to be like that in America. This is not Russia or China. They’re not supposed to be able to drag us off the streets and stuff like that. That’s definitely in our future. They may think you’re mentally insane, and now that may be just because you went on the internet and said something like ‘cops stink’ or ‘cops are stupid.’ And then they put you in a mental institution and you can’t contact anyone. We’ve had some of those cases. It’s very difficult what we’re seeing.
“Once people get used to seeing this, which they tend to do, the tanks coming down the street. At that point, there isn’t any hope, in my opinion.”
He said the bottom line for Americans can be boiled down to one question:
“Do we have rights or do we have privileges? That’s the important point.”
He believes that until we the people start to honestly look into that question, the tide will not turn in favor of freedom.
“I’ve argued for several decades now that before any public official takes office, they should have to take a test on the Constitution. And Trump, when he was talking about the Declaration of Independence, he made no sense. I was like, where in the world did he get that information from?”
Whitehead said the Declaration of Independence clearly states that we, the people, have sovereign rights, granted by our Creator.
“You can’t take them away, they’re there. He actually says (in this executive order) that the only people who have rights are in the government, and they’re able to dictate and tell us what to do. We’re supposed to say heil Hitler and move on.”
Whitehead, who has practiced law and fought for liberty for more than 45 years, isn’t ready to move on, or give up.
“I’m telling you it’s one of the most dangerous periods I’ve ever seen in this country. I’ve tried to warn people—the police community have the equipment to blast some communities away,” he said.
“I think his administration is going to move forward on it. And the police chiefs are, when you see them…there’s this idea that they’re a special class. They are supposed to be our servants. We the people are the government…They put out these executive orders and it’s the type of thing you would see in another country, not in America.”
The order talks about “protecting innocent citizens,” but who is that?
“It’s going to be the people with money, the people in government, the people who line up” and do what they’re told, Whitehead said.
So then, what is the answer?
“I encourage local communities to get together and start to say we’re not going to put up with this,” he said. But don’t count on your local politicians to help organize the pushback.
“I see so many local politicians who are ready to go along with whatever the federal government says and especially what this president says,” he said. “These types of executive orders make the Constitution look like a worthless piece of paper. And why is that? Because the American people, I talk to a lot of people, school kids, average adults, even lawyers, and they aren’t educated about our Constitution.”
“If he (Trump) was a good president, he would make sure the public schools are teaching the Constitution. Because countries that have done these sorts of things in the past, as you know, have headed into doom.”
In his final analysis about Trump’s April 28 executive order, Whitehead said:
“There are some people who are not going to like this when it gets implemented and they’re going to be in trouble. This is going to be overwhelming when AI and all this technology is given to police; the Department of Homeland Security has already done threat assessments on homes across America, so they’re already doing that creepy stuff that George Orwell warned about in 1984.”
Please visit LeoHohmann.com: Investigative reporting on globalism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and where politics, culture and religion intersect.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Leo Hohmannhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngLeo Hohmann2025-05-09 10:02:592025-05-09 12:24:24‘Meet the new pope, same as the old pope…’ Will we get fooled again? And what’s really going on that they don’t want us to know about?
Columbia University, once a symbol of academic excellence, now finds itself at the heart of a national debate over campus anti-Semitism.
In March, President Donald Trump launched the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, focusing on Ivy League schools, including Columbia. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated, “Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses — only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them.” The Trump administration acted decisively, stripping Columbia of $400 million in federal funding for its “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
This financial penalty led to the layoffs of 180 employees, or “about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grants.” A Columbia spokesperson initially claimed the university was working with federal officials to restore funding, stating, “We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is,” and emphasizing a commitment to “combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff.”
After meeting with Columbia’s president, McMahon posted on X, expressing hope for collaboration to “protect all students on their campus.” However, she reiterated that “the Trump Administration will not allow the continued harassment and threats of violence against students.” No funding has been restored, and as The Daily Wire noted, “The Columbia decision represents one of the most significant financial penalties imposed on a university over the handling of campus protests, potentially setting a precedent for how the federal government addresses similar situations at other institutions.”
Columbia’s leadership responded to the circumstances, saying, “Columbia’s leadership continues discussions with the federal government in support of resuming activity on these research awards and additional other awards that have remained active, but unpaid.” They acknowledged, “We are working on and planning for every eventuality, but the strain in the meantime, financially and on our research mission, is intense.”
The university had briefly covered salaries for some affected researchers, but the layoffs signal the end of this approach. Columbia now faces significant financial and operational challenges. Meanwhile, experts point to the university’s long-standing issues with anti-Semitism.
Chris Gacek, senior fellow for Regulatory Affairs at Family Research Council, offered a sharp critique of Columbia’s history and the broader crisis in higher education. Dismissing the university’s claims of progress, he stated, “Columbia is claiming that they’ve gotten rid of anti-Semitism.” But in reality, “They have a serious problem.”
Gacek cited the Amcha Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to combating anti-Semitism in higher education. Its “Student Voices” resource documents experiences of Jewish students from 2014 to the present. In September 2024, a Columbia student reported: “Walking through campus, I notice fliers being handed out to visibly Jewish students — basically, fliers telling them that they’re complicit in genocide. And I just feel like there’s a target on my back simply for being Jewish.”
Gacek noted that in 2016, Columbia was ranked the worst school for Jewish students regarding anti-Semitism. He argued that student testimonies from 2016 to today show Columbia “didn’t shed being the worst school [for Jews] in America overnight.” He urged the university’s leadership to confront this history to grasp the true campus environment.
Gacek also emphasized that Columbia’s problems reflect a broader issue, stating, “University of Michigan is horrible. A bunch of the [California] schools are horrible,” and “a bunch of the Ivy Leagues” as well. He praised databases like Student Voices for providing a “snapshot in time for every school,” countering claims that “Trump is making this up” or that “some MAGA supporter is putting this stuff in there.”
Regarding the funding cuts, Gacek showed little sympathy, saying, “I’m not shedding any tears for these 180 people.” He argued that Columbia is now facing the consequences of deep-rooted anti-Semitism, a problem predating the Trump administration’s intervention. Gacek recommended that those investigating anti-Semitism, including Trump’s team, use resources like the Amcha Initiative, “because there is a lot of anti-Semitism now.”
The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Family Research Councilhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngFamily Research Council2025-05-09 08:17:412025-05-09 08:21:53Columbia University Lays off 180 in Wake of Federal Funding Cuts Over Anti-Semitism
