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Category: Politics
February 25, 2025
William Upton
Politics

‘The Winning Continues,’ WH Press Sec. Declares After Judge Rejects AP Lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden has rejected an Associated Press (AP) emergency motion to restore their access to the White House press briefing room and Air Force One. Following the ruling, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared, “The winning continues.”

The AP has been barred from White House and Air Force One access for nearly two weeks after the corporate media outlet refused to update its style guide to reflect President Donald J. Trump‘s order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Notably, major tech companies that provide map and direction apps, like Apple and Google, have made the change. The AP remains an outlier in refusing to make the name change even among their corporate media colleagues.

“The judge’s denial of the Associated Press’s request reinforces what I said from the podium last week and what President Trump has been saying, covering the American presidency—and the most intimate and limited spaces in this White House, in the Oval Office, on Air Force One—is a privilege,” Leavitt said following Judge McFadden’s ruling. “It is not a legal right.”

While Judge McFadden refused to grant temporary relief to the AP, he has set another hearing in the matter for March 20. The AP contends that the White House ban is an infringement on their First Amendment press rights and the requirement to use the Gulf of America is an infringement on their First Amendment speech rights.

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U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden has rejected an Associated Press (AP) emergency motion to restore their access to the White House press briefing room and Air Force One. Following the ruling, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared, "The winning continues." show more
February 24, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Politics
UK

Britain’s Leftist Government Removes Portraits of Churchill, Wellington.

Britain’s left-wing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has removed several portraits of the country’s iconic former wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament, along with other British heroes. Around five portraits of Churchill were removed from the walls in several areas of the parliamentary estate, including a picture of the former permier standing next to the Cenotaph, Britain’s main national war memorial, in 1945.

Alongside Churchill, the Labour government has also removed portraits of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, another former prime minister and noted for defeating Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo.

The portraits were removed following Labour’s election victory last year, which saw the party regain power from the Conservatives after 14 years in opposition.

Prime Minister Starmer has also removed portraits from Number 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister, including a portrait of the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

President Donald J. Trump, meanwhile, returned a bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office in the White House shortly after his inauguration last month. The bust had been initially removed by President Barack Obama, returned by Trump in 2016, and then removed again by President Joe Biden.

Winston Churchill has become a maligned figure among leftists, with some accusing him of racism. Despite this, he remains the most popular Prime Minister of all time in public polling.

Image by Library and Archives Canada.

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Britain's left-wing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has removed several portraits of the country's iconic former wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament, along with other British heroes. Around five portraits of Churchill were removed from the walls in several areas of the parliamentary estate, including a picture of the former permier standing next to the Cenotaph, Britain's main national war memorial, in 1945. show more
German Parliament
February 24, 2025
News
Politics
World

Despite Right-Wing Triumph in Germany, Coalition with Left Likely.

Preliminary results for Germany’s national elections, released by the Federal Returning Officer in Berlin on Monday, have confirmed a significant shift to the right. The nominally center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) formerly led by Angela Merkel emerged as the leading party, securing 28.5 percent of the vote and 208 seats in the 630-seat parliament. The populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) made historic gains, doubling its vote share from 10.4 percent in 2021 to 20.8 percent and increasing its seats from 83 to a provisional 152—the best result in the party’s history.

Despite a theoretical majority with the AfD, it remains unlikely the CDU, led by Friedrich Merz, will form a coalition with them. The CDU is part of a long-standing effort by establishment political parties to marginalize the AfD. Instead, a so-called “grand coalition” government alongside left-wing parties, such as the Social Democrats led by outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is far more likely.

The liberal Free Democrats (FDP), who were part of the last governing coalition, failed to meet the required five percent threshold to enter parliament, losing all of their 91 seats. The newly-founded left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also failed to win any seats.

Prior the to German elections, U.S. President J.D. Vance argued the German establishment should not shut out the AfD, given its level of popularity. “It’s really about censorship and about migration, about this fear that President Trump and I have, that European leaders are kind of terrified of their own people,” he said.

Image by Norbert Nagel.

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Preliminary results for Germany's national elections, released by the Federal Returning Officer in Berlin on Monday, have confirmed a significant shift to the right. The nominally center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) formerly led by Angela Merkel emerged as the leading party, securing 28.5 percent of the vote and 208 seats in the 630-seat parliament. The populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) made historic gains, doubling its vote share from 10.4 percent in 2021 to 20.8 percent and increasing its seats from 83 to a provisional 152—the best result in the party's history. show more
February 24, 2025
Politics

Musk Demands Federal Workers List Weekly Achievements or Face Firing, But Not All Agencies Will Comply.

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk notified thousands of federal workers over the weekend that they must submit a list of five accomplishments they achieved last week by Monday at 11:59 PM or face possible firing. The memo came after President Donald J. Trump urged Musk and DOGE to be more aggressive in cutting government waste and employee redundancies across federal agencies.

Despite Musk’s order, not all federal agencies say they will comply. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Defense (DoD) all instructed their personnel not to comply with the order. Initially, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. informed his agency’s employees to comply but rescinded the directive late Sunday night.

Kash Patel, Trump’s new FBI director, instructed bureau personnel to ignore the order. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures,” Director Patel wrote in an email. He added, “When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”

Similarly, a memo sent to State Department employees stated department leadership would handle the situation. “No employee is obligated to report their activities outside of their Department chain of command,” the memo reads. Additionally, the DoD told its personnel to “pause” sending any replies to Musk, and DHS told its staff “no reporting action from you is needed at this time.”

Musk defended the move on Sunday, calling it “a very basic pulse check,” arguing: “In some cases, we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks.”

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Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk notified thousands of federal workers over the weekend that they must submit a list of five accomplishments they achieved last week by Monday at 11:59 PM or face possible firing. The memo came after President Donald J. Trump urged Musk and DOGE to be more aggressive in cutting government waste and employee redundancies across federal agencies. show more
February 24, 2025
Politics

Government TVs Hacked, Displaying Gross Trump-Musk Video.

An artificial intelligence-altered video featuring President Donald J. Trump appeared on the television screens at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) cafeteria on Monday, causing shock and surprise among employees. The video displayed the phrase “Long Live the Real King” alongside digitally altered footage of Trump appearing to kiss Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk‘s feet.

The method by which the video was broadcast on the cafeteria’s screens remains unclear. HUD spokesman Kasey Lovett assured that an investigation is underway to hold responsible parties accountable. “Another waste of taxpayer dollars and resources. Appropriate action will be taken for all involved,” Lovett said regarding the incident.

It appears likely the video was the work of a disgruntled federal employee who is lashing out following President Trump’s recent directive to the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to uncover and eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse. The DOGE initiative has resulted in significant cuts to the federal government workforce, with some agencies—like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—being almost totally shuttered.

Additionally, Musk has drawn further government worker ire after sending an email with the subject line “What did you do last week?” and demanding thousands of employees respond with approximately five bullet points of their achievements and to copy their manager. Musk warned in a post that failure to comply with these instructions would be “taken as a resignation.” The employees were given until the end of the day Monday to submit their responses.

Meanwhile, The National Pulse reported on Monday that President Trump’s job approval now sits at 52 percent, with voters overwhelmingly supporting his political agenda—including the DOGE efforts.

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An artificial intelligence-altered video featuring President Donald J. Trump appeared on the television screens at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) cafeteria on Monday, causing shock and surprise among employees. The video displayed the phrase "Long Live the Real King" alongside digitally altered footage of Trump appearing to kiss Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk's feet. show more
February 24, 2025
Politics

Trump Administration Slashes 1,600 Jobs at USAID.

The Trump White House announced late Sunday that it is cutting an estimated 1,600 U.S.-based jobs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). According to an agency memo, effective Sunday at 11:59 PM, “direct hire personnel” globally have been placed on administrative leave, except for those essential to mission-critical roles and core leadership tasks.

USAID disclosed on Sunday that employees impacted by the Reduction-in-Force received notifications on February 23, 2025, detailing their benefits and rights. Essential personnel were notified by 5:00 PM the same day. For those overseas, USAID is offering a voluntary, funded return program and other benefits while maintaining access to agency resources until their return.

The staff reduction follows a federal judge’s decision on Friday to allow the administration to proceed with its restructuring plans, rejecting efforts by several government unions to block the move. Earlier this month, President Donald J. Trump placed most USAID employees on administrative leave and repositioned its leadership under Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

These changes have led to the closure of some office spaces. United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has taken over a former USAID office in Washington, D.C. The shake-up aligns with the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts, led by Elon Musk, who cited excessive spending on ideologically driven projects as the rationale for the downsizing.

Musk asserts the need for a comprehensive overhaul of USAID, calling it unrepairable in its current state. Rubio has underscored the administration’s commitment to continuing some foreign aid programs while eliminating those inconsistent with U.S. national interests. The overarching goal is to maintain effective programs while addressing those lacking alignment with national priorities.

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The Trump White House announced late Sunday that it is cutting an estimated 1,600 U.S.-based jobs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). According to an agency memo, effective Sunday at 11:59 PM, "direct hire personnel" globally have been placed on administrative leave, except for those essential to mission-critical roles and core leadership tasks. show more
February 21, 2025
William Upton
Politics

WATCH: ‘We Are the Federal Law’ — Trump Torches Dem Governor on Males in Female Sports.

President Donald J. Trump has taken Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) to task for continuing to allow biological men to compete in women’s sports in violation of an executive order signed by the America First leader last month. The National Pulse reported earlier today that transgender high school athlete who goes by Katie Spencer—born a biological male—won Maine’s Class B state championship for pole vaulting, beating out his female competition. This could draw sanctions under Trump’s executive order for the student’s high school and the Maine Principals’ Association, which oversees high school athletics in the state.

“Is Maine here, the Governor of Maine?” President Trump asked during a lunch event at the White House on Friday with a bipartisan group of governors, asking Mills, “Are you not going to comply?”

When Mills claimed she was complying with state and federal law, Trump pressed her from the podium, warning, “Well, we are the federal law… You’d better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.” The America First leader was apparently paraphrasing the famous line from the 1995 film Judge Dredd, where the titular character—portrayed by Sylvester Stalone—declares, “I am the law!”

“Your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports, so you’d better comply, because otherwise you’re not getting any, any federal funding,” Trump reiterated.

Mills piped up, “See you in court,” with Trump responding, “Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.”

“And enjoy your life after Governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics,” he added.

WATCH:

Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.

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President Donald J. Trump has taken Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) to task for continuing to allow biological men to compete in women's sports in violation of an executive order signed by the America First leader last month. The National Pulse reported earlier today that transgender high school athlete who goes by Katie Spencer—born a biological male—won Maine's Class B state championship for pole vaulting, beating out his female competition. This could draw sanctions under Trump's executive order for the student's high school and the Maine Principals’ Association, which oversees high school athletics in the state. show more
February 21, 2025
William Upton
Economy
Politics

Senate Moves $340 Billion Budget Plan Despite Trump & House Opposition.

Republicans in the U.S. Senate advanced the first part of their two-pronged budget plan early Friday morning after 10 hours of votes on amendments. The legislation, with a price tag of $340 billion to fund President Donald J. Trump‘s agenda, does not include an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which the Senate intends to take up as a separate bill. This two-bill approach has been a sticking point for President Trump, who has said he prefers the House of Representatives’ plan to pass the budget and the tax cuts extension in one large budget reconciliation bill.

Notably, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against the measure, which passed on a near-partisan vote, 52-48. The Senate budget plan will likely face opposition in the House of Representatives, which plans to introduce its own budget resolution next week.

“This budget resolution is a complete game changer when it comes to securing our border and making our military more lethal. It will allow President Trump to fulfill the promises he made to the American people—a very big deal,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said in a statement released just after 5 AM on Friday.

While Trump has vocally backed the House’s single-bill budget plan, the President does appear to be open to the Senate’s two-bill approach, praising Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) in a post on Truth Social shortly before the grueling Thursday night and Friday morning vote series began. “Thank you to Majority Leader John Thune, and the Republican Senate, for working so hard on funding the Trump Border Agenda,” Trump wrote, adding: “Your work on funding this effort is greatly appreciated!”

Image via GPA Photo Archive.

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Republicans in the U.S. Senate advanced the first part of their two-pronged budget plan early Friday morning after 10 hours of votes on amendments. The legislation, with a price tag of $340 billion to fund President Donald J. Trump's agenda, does not include an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which the Senate intends to take up as a separate bill. This two-bill approach has been a sticking point for President Trump, who has said he prefers the House of Representatives' plan to pass the budget and the tax cuts extension in one large budget reconciliation bill. show more
February 20, 2025
Politics

Mexico Warns U.S. Against Violating Its Sovereignty Following Drug Cartel Foreign Terrorist Designation.

The Mexican government has issued a warning to the United States regarding its territorial sovereignty in response to President Donald J. Trump’s decision to classify six major Mexican organized crime groups as foreign terrorist organizations. Two criminal gangs from Venezuela and El Salvador—Tren de Aragua and MS-13, respectively—were also included in this classification.

During a morning press briefing, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of cooperation in addressing the operations of drug cartels.”The people of Mexico, under no circumstances, will accept interventions, interference, or any other act from abroad that is harmful to the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of the nation,” Sheinbaum said, adding: “What we want to make clear with this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty, this can’t be an opportunity by the United States to invade our sovereignty.”

“They can call [cartels] whatever they decide, but with Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination, no interference, and even less invasion,” the leftist president added.

Previously, President Trump has suggested aggressive measures against Mexican drug cartels, including potential military strikes. This stance was echoed in recent remarks by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who indicated that “all options will be on the table” to address threats from designated terrorist organizations targeting Americans, particularly along the border.

Despite her defiant tone, Sheinbaum reiterated Mexico’s commitment to working with the U.S. in combating fentanyl trafficking. Mexico and Canada agreed to crack down on the illicit drug trade in exchange for President Trump pausing the imposition of trade tariffs on both countries.

Image by Maritza Ríos / Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México.

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The Mexican government has issued a warning to the United States regarding its territorial sovereignty in response to President Donald J. Trump's decision to classify six major Mexican organized crime groups as foreign terrorist organizations. Two criminal gangs from Venezuela and El Salvador—Tren de Aragua and MS-13, respectively—were also included in this classification. show more
February 20, 2025
Politics

IRS Fires 6,000 Employees After Biden Hired 87,000.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has dismissed an estimated 6,000 probationary employees at the direction of President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Previously, the number of IRS employees was drastically expanded under the Biden government, with a target of 87,000 new hires by 2031.

Over the past two weeks, DOGE—along with the Trump White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM)—has moved to lay off thousands of probationary federal workers hired by the former Biden government. The downsizing is aimed at reducing federal spending and rampant government waste. In the case of the IRS, most of those dismissed are customer service representatives, IT staff, and staff who handle tax disputes and enforcement. Employees deemed essential to the revenue agency’s primary functions are unaffected.

“I think our objective is to make sure that the employees that we pay are being productive and effective,” Kevin Hassett, President Trump’s chief economic adviser, said on Thursday during the White House press briefing. He added: “There are more than 100,000 people working to collect taxes, and not all of them are fully occupied.”

In addition to dismissing probationary employees, the Trump White House had previously offered federal employees a buyout, granting them seven months of severance in exchange for their voluntary resignation. It is estimated that around 75,000 government workers accepted the offer.

While some are criticizing the IRS layoffs, claiming the staff reductions could impact tax season, the reductions only account for about six percent of the agency’s total workforce.

Image by Alpha Photo.

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has dismissed an estimated 6,000 probationary employees at the direction of President Donald J. Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Previously, the number of IRS employees was drastically expanded under the Biden government, with a target of 87,000 new hires by 2031. show more