❓WHAT HAPPENED: Lawmakers reconvene today after a monthlong recess, facing a packed legislative agenda ahead of a federal government shutdown deadline.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Members of Congress returning to Capitol Hill.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday, at the U.S. Capitol.
🎯IMPACT: Debates over government funding and Jeffrey Epstein will likely dominate discussions.
IN FULL
Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after a monthlong recess, facing a September agenda dominated by a government shutdown deadline less than a month away. Bipartisan cooperation is needed to pass next year’s funding bills, with Republican majorities in the House and Senate having struggled to advance appropriations without the Democrats.
Congressional Democrats will likely demand the restoration of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funds as part of a deal, after they were cut significantly for certain people, including migrants, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed this summer with no Democratic support.
Beyond funding, Congress is grappling with other priorities. Senate Republicans are considering rule changes, to counter Democrat disruption of President Donald J. Trump’s nominations, and tariffs on Russia’s trading partners, to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to make peace with Ukraine.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson faces internal party divisions over whether to push Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release additional Jeffrey Epstein investigation files. Democrats and some Republicans are demanding greater transparency on the investigation into the deceased pedophile’s operations after Bondi released a memo stating that the matter was essentially closed.
Notably, Democrats expressed little interest in the matter when they controlled the DOJ and the legislature.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: NBC News issued a “correction” for using the “wrong pronoun” to refer to Robin Westman, the transgender Annunciation Church mass shooter.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Transgender mass shooter Robin Westman, NBC News and four of its reporters.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The “correction” was issued on August 29, 2025.
🎯IMPACT: The “correction” has sparked public backlash, with many questioning why NBC News is concerning itself with the pronouns of a child killer who confessed in his own writings that he knew he was not really a woman.
IN FULL
NBC News issued a “correction” on Friday after using “the wrong pronoun” for Annunciation Church mass shooter Robin Westman, formerly Robert, who killed two children and left over a dozen others injured in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week.
“CORRECTION (Aug. 29, 2025, 8:05 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article used the wrong pronoun for the shooter. She used female pronouns,” read the correction notice, added to a report on the shooting. Previously, the report had correctly referred to Westman with male pronouns.
According to the shooter’s journal, he knew he was “not a woman,” expressing regret about his transition ahead of the attack. “I only keep [the long hair] because it is pretty much my last shred of being trans. I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brainwashed myself,” he wrote. “I regret being trans… I wish I was a girl I just know I cannot achieve that body with the technology we have today. I also can’t afford that.”
Westman also reportedly wrote about being drawn to anthropomorphic animals, or “furries,” writing, “I like feeling sexy and cute but my face never matches how I feel. I hate my face.”
“Maybe that’s why I like furries so much. You can give yourself a new body and face,” he added.
Westman fatally shot himself after his attack.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Protesters clashed with police in Epping, UK, after the Court of Appeal overturned an injunction that sought to temporarily halt asylum seekers being housed in the Bell Hotel.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Protest organisers, Reform UK candidates Orla Minihane and Sarah White, demonstrators, police officers, and local figures like Adam Brooks and Councillor Jaymey McIvor.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Sunday in Epping, Essex, primarily at the Bell Hotel and the local council buildings.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The council has let us down… migrants were more important than the British people.” – Orla Minihane
🎯IMPACT: The protests highlighted growing public frustration over migrant housing policies and political inaction, with calls for civil disobedience and further unrest.
IN FULL
England’s migrant hotel protests escalated on Sunday as clashes broke out between demonstrators and police in Epping, Essex. The unrest followed a Court of Appeal decision to overturn an injunction that would have temporarily stopped the Bell Hotel from housing asylum seekers.
Sunday’s events culminated in the arrest of Sarah White, a candidate for Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, after she hung a Union flag from a nearby public building.
🚨🚨🚨Meanwhile, in Britain, a Reform candidate for @Nigel_Farage’s insurgent party has been violently arrested by the Labour government’s police for the crime of… flying the British flag from a public building. https://t.co/76DNlve84x
Protests at the Bell Hotel have been ongoing since July, when an illegal migrant staying there was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. The recent court ruling has intensified local anger, with protesters accusing authorities of ignoring their concerns.
Reform UK candidate Orla Minihane, a protest organiser, told attendees that “the council has let us down” and accused the Government of prioritising migrants over British citizens. Sarah White compared the demonstrations to historic uprisings, urging the crowd to “refuse to pay the [BBC] license fee” and “council taxes.” White was then arrested after attempting to place a flag on the council building, sparking clashes between protesters and police.
“The arrest is on suspicion of breaching a Section 14 order,” a police spokesman said – referring to legislation police chiefs can use to impose restrictions on protests they believe could result in “serious public disorder.”
Local voices expressed outrage at the court’s decision, with commentator Adam Brooks calling it a “disgrace.” Many questioned the impartiality of presiding judge Lord Justice Bean, citing his ties to the far-left Labour Party and the further-left Fabian Society. Others echoed Nigel Farage’s criticism of the Government’s use of the ECHR against local residents.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump demanded transparency from pharmaceutical companies regarding the effectiveness of their COVID-19 drugs.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Donald Trump, Pfizer, CDC, and Bobby Kennedy Jr.
📍WHEN & WHERE: This morning, Trump’s statement was made on TruthSocial.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!!” – Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: Trump’s demand may increase pressure on drug companies to disclose data, potentially affecting public perception of COVID-19 vaccines.
IN FULL
President Donald J. Trump has called for pharmaceutical companies to justify the success of their COVID-19 drugs. In a statement on TruthSocial, Trump emphasized the importance of transparency in assessing the efficacy of these medications.
“Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree!” Trump remarked, highlighting the ongoing debate surrounding the effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments.
Trump expressed frustration over the lack of public disclosure of data from companies like Pfizer, despite having seen “extraordinary” information himself. He questioned why these results are not shared with the public and the CDC.
The President also mentioned Bobby Kennedy Jr. and the CDC, who are caught in the crossfire of this debate. Trump urged clarity and disclosure to resolve what he termed a “MESS.”
Trump concluded by expressing hope that Operation Warp Speed was as successful as claimed, stating, “If not, we all want to know about it, and why???”
Screenshot
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Mayor Rudy Giuliani was involved in a motor vehicle accident after assisting a victim of domestic violence.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Mayor Giuliani, a domestic violence victim, and an unidentified driver who struck Giuliani’s vehicle.
📍WHEN & WHERE: August 30, 2025, in New Hampshire.
🎯IMPACT: Mayor Giuliani sustained serious injuries, including a fractured vertebrae, and is receiving medical care.
IN FULL
On the evening of August 30, 2025, in New Hampshire, Mayor Giuliani was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Prior to the incident, he was flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident. Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911. He remained on scene until responding officers arrived to ensure her safety.
Following this, while traveling on the highway, Mayor Giuliani’s vehicle was struck from behind at high speed. He was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg.
His business partner and medical provider were promptly contacted and arrived at the hospital to oversee his care.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. implemented significant budget cuts to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants focusing on LGBT initiatives and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: RFK Jr., HHS, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and various grant recipients.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Cuts began in March 2025, with additional reductions continuing through August 2025.
🎯IMPACT: Nearly $122 million in funding for 195 projects was eliminated, affecting grants across universities and research institutions.
IN FULL
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has eliminated nearly $122 million in federal funding tied to LGBT initiatives and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, marking a significant shift in agency priorities under the Trump administration. The cuts, which began in March 2025, targeted 195 projects that Kennedy and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) deemed overly focused on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
Among the programs cut was a $5.5 million grant to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s “Vanderbilt FIRST” initiative, which aimed to recruit tenure-track faculty from so-called racially and ethnically minoritized groups, i.e., everyone but white people. Drexel University also lost $4.6 million in funding meant to support DEI hiring efforts in health disparities research. Other grants affected included $2.4 million for the University of Virginia, focused on so-called gender-diverse individuals, and $1.1 million for the University of Michigan, focused on Asian American and Latino populations.
The White House has backed Kennedy’s efforts, brushing aside criticism from activist groups and some academic institutions. Sources inside the administration say the move is part of a broader effort to remove ideological bias from publicly funded research.
The Trump administration has made similar moves elsewhere in recent months. In May, for instance, the Department of Justice (DOJ) redirected more than $800 million in DEI and transgender-related grants toward law enforcement and public safety programs.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to proceed with $783 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant cuts tied to DEI-focused research. In a 5–4 decision, the Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to cancel the grants. Although the ruling included some limits on future federal DEI guidelines, it upheld the administration’s authority to redirect funds away from identity-based programs.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A sharp rise in hostile incidents targeting American churches was recorded in 2024, with 436 documented cases, up from 315 in 2023 and nearly double the 230 in 2022, according to the Family Research Council.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Churches across 43 states were affected, with incidents ranging from vandalism to arson and gun-related threats. The Family Research Council compiled the data.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incidents occurred throughout 2024, with California seeing the highest number (40), followed by Pennsylvania (29), with Florida and New York tied at 25 each.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Family Research Council identified 415 hostile incidents in 2024, affecting a total of 383 churches.” – Family Research Council
🎯IMPACT: The data highlights ongoing challenges to places of worship in America, as societal shifts and political disagreements contribute to rising hostility.
IN FULL
In 2024, attacks on churches across the United States surged to unprecedented levels, with 436 incidents reported, marking a steep rise from 315 in 2023 and close to doubling the 230 recorded in 2022. The numbers, compiled by the Family Research Council (FRC), highlight a troubling pattern of growing hostility toward Christian places of worship.
These incidents spanned 43 states and included a wide range of offenses. Vandalism topped the list with 284 documented cases, including property damage, defacement, burglary, and ransacking. Arson followed with 55 instances, some confirmed and others under investigation. Gun-related incidents more than doubled from the previous year, rising to 28 from just 12 in 2023. There were also 14 bomb threats, mostly hoaxes, and 47 other violent acts, including assaults during church break-ins.
California reported the most attacks with 40, followed by Pennsylvania with 29. Florida and New York each recorded 25 incidents. The Family Research Council, which tracks these incidents, has itself been controversially labeled an anti-LGBT “hate group” by the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center.
While statistics for 2025 are not yet available, Catholic children were targeted in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week in a mass shooting perpetrated by a transgender gunman who decorated his weapons with Satanic pentagrams.
The growing hostility to Christians is not limited to the United States. Europe has seen a disturbing wave of similar attacks. In just three weeks during the late summer of 2024, nine churches across Germany, France, and the Netherlands were struck by arson attacks. Across France, nearly 1,000 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in 2023 alone, with that number rising further into 2024.
Germany reported a 105 percent increase in politically motivated crimes against Christians, while violent attacks and vandalism targeting churches have also become common in countries like Spain and Belgium.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) mocked the “power of prayer” after a mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where children were praying at the time of the attack.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Gavin Newsom, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and other Democrats.
📍WHEN & WHERE: California, following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church by a transgender gunman in Minneapolis this week.
💬KEY QUOTE: “These children were literally praying as they got shot at.” – Gavin Newsom
🎯IMPACT: Newsom’s thoughtless comments have sparked backlash and debates about faith, prayer, and gun control legislation.
IN FULL
In the aftermath of the recent mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that left two young children dead and 17 others wounded, Democrat leaders have sparked backlash for mocking prayer in the wake of the tragedy. Notably, California Governor Gavin Newsom mockingly responded to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s comments on the “power of prayer” by posting on X (formerly Twitter): “These children were literally praying as they got shot at.”
The remark drew strong condemnation from conservatives and faith leaders. However, Democrat Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey struck a similar tone to Newsom, telling reporters, “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school, they were in a church.” Frey exploited the moment to call for more gun control, despite Minnesota already having red flag laws on the books.
Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester, a native of Minnesota, slammed Frey’s remarks as “completely asinine,” explaining: “To claim that because children were praying and were not delivered from harm means that prayer is ineffective is to misunderstand the purpose of prayer completely.”
“These kids died in a church. They died as martyrs. That should never be mocked,” he added.
Vice President J.D. Vance also weighed in, calling the reaction from Democrats “shocking and bizarre,” and defending prayer as a source of hope, not a shield from all harm.
The shooter, a transgenderwho decorated his weapons with Satanic pentagrams and remarks such as ‘Where is your God?’, has been identified as having posted anti-Catholic rhetoric online before the attack.
Governor Newsom has a history of clashing with religious groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his administration banned even small religious gatherings in private homes, a move later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, despite holding questionable gatherings himself. He has also promoted California as an abortion tourism destination, offering taxpayer-funded travel to women from states with pro-life laws.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has proposed a $4.9 billion cut to foreign aid funds using a rarely invoked maneuver known as a pocket rescission.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The proposal was announced in late August 2025, with the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “For the first time in nearly 50 years, the President is using his authority under the Impoundment Control Act to deploy a pocket rescission, cancelling $4.9 billion in woke and weaponized foreign aidmoney that violates the President’s America First priorities,” said an OMB spokesman.
🎯IMPACT: The pocket rescission would defund diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), climate change, and LGBT propaganda abroad, but will face resistance from Democrats and Republicans-in-name-only on Capitol Hill.
IN FULL
President Donald J. Trump has moved to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid funding previously approved by Congress, using a rarely invoked tactic under the Impoundment Control Act known as a “pocket rescission.” The action, announced just weeks before the end of the fiscal year, blocks the funds from being spent by allowing them to expire on September 30 without a congressional vote.
The targeted funds were allocated to the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and international assistance programs. According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the move reflects Trump’s commitment to his “America First” agenda.
“For the first time in nearly 50 years, the President is using his authority under the Impoundment Control Act to deploy a pocket rescission, cancelling $4.9 billion in woke and weaponized foreign aid money,” an OMB spokesman said.
The rescinded accounts include USAID’s $3.2 billion Development Assistance Fund, which supported controversial programs on climate change, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and LGBT initiatives, such as $4 million for global LGBT awareness and $2 million for feminist organizing in Africa.
The $322 million Democracy Fund, criticized for promoting “gender responsive governance” and LGBT projects abroad, was also cut. Funding was withdrawn from UNESCO and the World Trade Organization (WTO) due to their globalist agendas and failure to align with U.S. interests.
U.S. contributions to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations were also slashed, including $393 million for general peacekeeping and $445 million for specific operations, amid concerns over inefficiency, sexual exploitation by peacekeepers, and other abuses. These funds had backed projects including infrastructure for foreign militaries.
The decision has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans-in-name-only (RINOs) in the GOP. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the move an attempt to sidestep Congress. “Given that this package was sent to Congress very close to the end of the fiscal year when the funds are scheduled to expire, this is an apparent attempt to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval,” Collins said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the action undermines bipartisan cooperation. “Reasonable Republicans don’t have to go along with the madness; Republicans don’t have to be a rubber stamp for this carnage,” Schumer complained.
The pocket rescission comes amid a broader overhaul of U.S. foreign aid under Trump. Earlier this year, the administration dismantled USAID’s global development programs, terminating billions in contracts and shifting remaining operations to the State Department. In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that “tens of billions of USAID contracts” had been cut. In July, Trump signed the Rescissions Act of 2025, eliminating an additional $8.3 billion in foreign assistance.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a rule change allowing attorneys without immigrationlaw experience to serve as temporary immigration judges.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The DOJ’s Office of Immigration Review, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and immigration judges.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The rule was published on Thursday in the Federal Register and applies to immigration courts nationwide.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Immigration law experience is not always a strong predictor of success as an [immigration judge],” the DOJ stated in the Federal Register.
🎯IMPACT: The new rule aims to address a backlog of over three million immigration cases by expanding the pool of eligible judges.
IN FULL
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a rule change to allow attorneys without immigration law experience to act as temporary immigration judges as part of an effort to clear a backlog of immigration cases numbering in the millions. On Thursday, the DOJ’s Office of Immigration Review published the rule in the Federal Register removing the requirement that temporary immigration judges have substantive prior experience in immigration law.
According to the rule change, Attorney General Pam Bondi will hold authority over the approval of jurists appointed to serve as immigration judges. This represents a significant shift following the dismissal or buyout of over 100 judges by the Trump administration earlier this year, amid concerns that many had an anti-deportation bias.
The Federal Register rule change states that the DOJ “no longer believes the restriction of TIJs to current department employees with a threshold level of immigration law experience serves EOIR’s interests,” adding: “Immigration law experience is not always a strong predictor of success as an [immigration judge] and EOIR has hired individuals from other federal agencies and Department components without prior immigration experience who have become successful and exemplary [immigration judges].” It further explained that the change allows for “the greatest degree of flexibility” in finding qualified candidates.
In addition, the rule notes that attorneys with experience in prominent courts or those who have clerked for the Supreme Court should not be disqualified from serving in an immigration-related capacity.
The DOJ emphasized that the need for assistance in adjudicating immigration cases has significantly increased since the original plan to utilize temporary immigration judges was introduced in 2014.
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