Day: February 5, 2025

Before it Was Shuttered, USAID Routed Funds to Soros-Aligned Causes, Terrorists and Drag Queens

Just the News
USAID Administrator Samantha Power

Before the Trump administration closed USAID’s doors, the agency regularly routed funding to causes aligned with George Soros’ nonprofit empire, terrorists and drag queens.

The agency came under scrutiny from the new administration over failures to ensure transparency in its funding to organizations across the globe and concerns that the leadership was not responding to explicit policy directives from the State Department and the wider executive branch to align its programs with Trump policies and the U.S. national interest.

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Rubio Scores Win in Opening Salvo Against China as Panama Backs Out of Beijing’s Investment Program

Just the News
Marco Rubio and Panama

Secretary of State Marco Rubio scored a win in the Trump administration’s opening salvo against China by convincing Panama to back out of China’s signature investment program, and in the process, developing a playbook to combat China’s broader influence in the region and around the globe. 

Rubio’s trip was preceded by stark demands from President Donald Trump who, playing the bad cop, has insisted that the United States would be forced to move to exert control over the Panama Canal if Chinese influence around the valuable waterway is not curtailed. 

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CIA Offers to Pay Out Entire Agency: Report

Daily Caller News Foundation
CIA logo

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly offered payouts to its entire workforce Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The CIA has apparently become the first intelligence agency to offer its employees a way out, as they were reportedly offered a bid to quit their jobs in exchange for roughly eight months of pay and benefits, the outlet reported. Trump administration officials told the outlet that the move is a signal to help those who oppose President Donald Trump’s agenda find other work.

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Google Scraps Minority Recruitment Goals, Will Review DEI Programs

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Axios   Google said on Wednesday it is ending its goal to boost its ranks of people from historically underrepresented groups and will also review its other diversity efforts as it looks to comply with various Trump Administration rules for government contractors. The move follows a similar push from rival Meta, though that company has also loosened its restrictions on hate speech and taken other moves to roll back inclusion efforts. Despite setting lofty goals, Google and other large tech companies remain overwhelmingly male and white, with Latinos and Blacks significantly underrepresented. READ THE FULL STORY 

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State Attorneys General Look to Prosecute Fauci Despite Biden Pardon

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Washington Examiner   Seventeen state attorneys general asked Republican congressional leadership Wednesday for more information on COVID-19 origins and possible avenues to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci legally culpable at the state level.  Fauci, former director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases and figurehead of the federal COVID response, was federally pardoned by former President Joe Biden on his last day in the White House. Now state Republican prosecutors are asking federal officeholders to share any relevant information that could lead to state-level criminal charges against Fauci.  “As state attorneys general, we possess the authority to address violations of state law or breaches of public trust,” wrote the state officials. “We are fully committed to investigating any malfeasance that may have occurred to the fullest extent of our authority and are prepared to collaborate with you in further efforts.”  READ THE FULL STORY               

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Sens. Hawley, Sanders Propose 10 Propose Cap on Credit Card Rates

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Newsmax   Senators Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, have proposed a 10% cap on credit card interest rates for five years. Their bipartisan bill put forth Tuesday aims to relieve consumers burdened by high credit card debt and supports a campaign promise made by President Donald Trump. The thinking behind the bill has gaimed broad public support, with 77% of surveyed individuals favoring a cap on rates, currently averaging 21.47%, and unpaid balances charging 22.80%. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Bukele Agrees to Receive ‘Criminal’ Migrants Deported from the U.S.

ADN America
El Salvador and America

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele agreed on Monday to accept undocumented migrants of any nationality who have committed serious crimes on U.S. soil from the United States.

This was announced to the press by the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, after almost three hours of meeting with Bukele at the Salvadoran president’s farm on the lake in the Coatepeque municipality.

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Tennessee Catholic Conference Praises ‘Landmark’ Education Freedom Act for ‘Empowering Parents’

Tom Pappert
Teaching Students

A statement released by the Tennessee Catholic Conference on Monday praised the Education Freedom Act, the school choice plan presented by Governor Bill Lee, endorsed by President Donald Trump, and passed by the General Assembly last month, creating 20,000 scholarships to help families choose alternative schools for their children.

The conference, the policy arm of the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville, said it was celebrating the passing of the school choice plan, calling it “a significant step forward for advancing opportunities for all students across our state,” and “landmark legislation” that reflects the Tennessee’s commitment to giving children better education opportunities.

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Reporter Tom Pappert: Law Enforcement Agencies Silent on Franklin Gun Store Attempted Robbery by Illegal Immigrants

Kaitlin Housler
Tom Pappert

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, says the law enforcement agencies involved in the January 20 arrest of five teenagers who attempted a break-in at the Arms and Ammo store in Franklin have provided a “stunning lack of information” on the case after The Star learned from a source that the teeangers are reportedly Honduran nationals who were in the U.S. illegally at the time of their arrest.

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Tennessee Schools Could Deny Enrollment to Illegal Immigrants Under Proposed Legislation

Tom Pappert
Asking questions

A bill filed in the Tennessee General Assembly would empower Local Educational Agencies (LEA)s and public charter schools to decline to allow illegal immigrants to enroll in their institutions.

Submitted on Tuesday as HB 793 by State House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) and SB 836 by State Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson), the legislation specifically empowers schools to “enroll, or refuse to enroll, a student who is unlawfully present in the United States,” indicating schools will not be required to decline enrollment.

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Tennessee Had 5th Highest Opioid-Related Death Rate Among All 50 U.S. States in 2023, New Data Finds

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee’s opioid-related death rate was ranked the fifth highest among all 50 U.S. states in 2023, a new study conducted by the law firm group White Law PLLC shows.

The study shows that a total of 79,355 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2023 – a 12 percent increase from 2022 and the highest recorded rate in history, averaging 217 deaths per day.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Introduces Bill to Help Address the Nation’s Cyber Workforce Shortage

Kaitlin Housler
Mark Green

U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), who chairs the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, reintroduced a bill on Wednesday to address the nation’s cybersecurity workforce shortage.

Green’s bill, the Cyber PIVOTT Act, seeks to establish educational and training partnerships between government institutions and community colleges, technical schools, and other higher education institutions that offer two-year programs in the cybersecurity field.

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Vivek Ramaswamy Receives Endorsements from Sens. Blackburn, Scott, Lee After Internal Poll Shows Huge Lead in Ohio Governor Race

Tom Pappert
Vivek Ramaswamy

Potential gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has received the endorsements of three Republican U.S. senators following the release of internal polling that showed him with a significant lead over possible challengers in the Republican primary.

The former presidential candidate, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) official, and Ohio native has yet to formally announce a campaign, but has so far received endorsements from Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Rick Scott (R-FL).

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New Bill Aimed to Prohibit Debanking Set for Introduction in the U.S. Senate

Daily Caller News Foundation
Sen. Kevin Cramer

Republican North Dakota US Sen. Kevin Cramer is set to introduce a bill Tuesday aimed at prohibiting financial institutions from targeting individuals and industries on ideological grounds.

The Fair Access to Banking Act would prohibit a payment card network from discriminating against individuals because of reputational or political considerations, according to legislation obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Cramer’s bill would also prevent banks and credit unions with more than $10 billion in total assets that refuse to do business with a person or industry due to their beliefs from using a crucial electronic money transfer network that is essential for operation and managing transactions.

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Federal Mental Health Agency Scrubs Website of Resources Created by Transgender Activists

Daily Caller News Foundation
Trans flag

A federal mental health agency’s website no longer highlights government-funded resources promoting gender ideology.

Previously live pages linking to an organization launched through a $3.5 million department grant — the Center for Excellence in LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity — and resources developed through the center now return 404 errors on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website.

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Commentary: Trump’s Spending Freeze Is a Major Step Towards Making America Great

American Greatness
President Donald Trump

Conservatives from all over the USA, the moment you’ve all been waiting for is here! The Trump Spending Freeze — an act of executive frugality so seismic, so chilling, that it has sent shivers down the spines of bureaucrats from Washington to the farthest corners of the federal empire. Yes, the gravy train has hit a sudden and screeching halt, and the nation now finds itself at a once-in-a-lifetime crossroads: do we blindly scream in horror at the halt of unchecked spending, or do we take a deep, patriotic breath and seize this as the greatest opportunity to reset our priorities before the entire federal apparatus eats itself into oblivion?

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State Rep. Alex Kolodin Proposes Bill to Stop Lawfare, Political Prosecutions of Opponents

Rachel Alexander
State Rep. Alex Kolodin

State Representative Alex Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) proposed a bill last week that would stop lawfare and the political prosecutions of opponents. HB 2633 broadens laws against Strategic Legal Actions Against Public Participation (known as anti-SLAPP laws) to include political and religious expression, creates additional remedies against state actors who bring SLAPP suits, and establishes an avenue for post-conviction relief when a defendant asserts that a prosecution was politically motivated. Anti-SLAPP laws prohibit using the courts to suppress the First Amendment, including the constitutional rights of petition, speech, and association. 

Kolodin, an election and constitutional attorney, announced the bill on X, quoting President Donald Trump. “‘Never again will the immense power of the state be used to prosecute political opponents!’ – Trump,” he said. “HB2633 turns that promise into law. It’s up in Judiciary next week. Show up. Speak out. Make the Constitution great again!”

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Virginia Lt. Governor Candidate John Curran Plans to ‘Pull the Party Together’ Under MAGA Banner to ‘Create Real Solutions’

Tom Pappert
John Curran

John Curran, who last year launched his candidacy for the Republican nomination to become Virginia’s next lieutenant general, said on Tuesday that he hopes to bring the commonwealth’s Republicans together, creating a unified front to leverage public opinion and force Democrats to accept conservative legislation.

Curran made the remarks on Tuesday to John Fredericks, who owns The Virginia Star, during an appearance on “The John Fredericks Show,” after the host asked how the James City business consultant planned to use the role of lieutenant governor to advocate for policies that reflect President Donald Trump’s agenda.

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