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Category: Politics
January 20, 2025
William Upton
Politics
TRUMP TRANSITION 2024/5

President Trump Names Acting Agency Heads as He Moves Swiftly to Enact America First Agenda.

President Donald J. Trump has named a number of acting secretaries to oversee federal departments as he moves to swiftly enact the initial stages of his America First agenda. The acting officials are tasked with executing several hundred executive orders addressing national security, energy, and immigration issues—rolling back former President Joe Biden’s radical progressive agenda.

Already, the Trump White House has moved to shutter the controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CBP One app, which the Biden government used to parole hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into the United States. Additionally, President Trump appears to have directed border agents to close several ports of entry along the southern border with Mexico, including the infamous El Paso checkpoint—a hot spot for so-called asylum seekers.

The acting officials named by President Trump include Gary Washington as Secretary of Agriculture, Jeremy Pelter as  Secretary of Commerce, Robert Salesses as Secretary of Defense, Denise Carter as Secretary of Education, Ingrid Kolb as Secretary of Energy, Dorothy Fink as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Benjamine Huffman as Secretary of Homeland Security. Additionally, acting officials named by the President are Matthew Ammon as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Walter Cruickshank as Secretary of the Interior, Vincent Micone as Secretary of Labor, Lisa Kenna as Secretary of State, David Lebryk as Secretary of the Treasury, Judith Kaleta as Secretary of Transportation, and Todd Hunter as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Additionally, federal immigration enforcement attorney James McHenry has been tapped as the acting Attorney General, and Emil Bove—one of President Trump’s criminal defense attorneys—has been named as acting Deputy Attorney General. McHenry and Bove will oversee a large number of pardons and commutations for the January 6 Capitol riot defendants, which are expected to be signed by Trump later today.

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President Donald J. Trump has named a number of acting secretaries to oversee federal departments as he moves to swiftly enact the initial stages of his America First agenda. The acting officials are tasked with executing several hundred executive orders addressing national security, energy, and immigration issues—rolling back former President Joe Biden's radical progressive agenda. show more
January 20, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Crime
Politics

President Trump to Free Hundreds of Jan 6 Defendants.

President Donald J. Trump is expected to issue pardons and commute sentences for hundreds of people persecuted by the former Biden-Harris regime following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, freeing many from prison. It is believed that President Trump will issue pardons for all supporters prosecuted for nonviolent offenses and commute the sentences of those already convicted. Additionally, Trump is expected to direct the Attorney General to vacate pending indictments against January 6 defendants—concluding around 470 ongoing Department of Justice (DOJ) cases.

Over 730 people have been convicted of offenses related to the Capitol riots, and hundreds of others still face pending prosecutions. The executive order expected to be signed by President Trump later today will likely impact the entirety of the DOJ cases. This will end the massive policing operation against Trump supporters that was headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which saw over 1,580 people charged by federal prosecutors.

Many of those prosecuted were simply supporters who did not engage in violence and claimed they had no intentions of disrupting the certification of the 2020 election. Some were even guided into the Capitol by police.

President Trump had previously said he would consider pardons for the January 6 prisoners and recognized the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by Capitol Police officer Michael L. Byrd.

Questions remain regarding the activities of federal informants present on January 6. The FBI admitted last month that at least 26 informants were at the Capitol that day. Three of the informants were reportedly there to monitor domestic terrorism subjects.

Some have alleged that federal government agents may have either participated in or helped incite the riot that took place, but the FBI has consistently denied the claims. The biased Democrat-controlled January 6 Committee has also come under scrutiny, but during his final day in office, former President Joe Biden pardoned its members.

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President Donald J. Trump is expected to issue pardons and commute sentences for hundreds of people persecuted by the former Biden-Harris regime following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, freeing many from prison. It is believed that President Trump will issue pardons for all supporters prosecuted for nonviolent offenses and commute the sentences of those already convicted. Additionally, Trump is expected to direct the Attorney General to vacate pending indictments against January 6 defendants—concluding around 470 ongoing Department of Justice (DOJ) cases. show more
January 20, 2025
William Upton
Politics

President Trump Outlines Top Priorities in Memo to Congress.

President Donald J. Trump—inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States at noon on Monday, January 20, 2025—has outlined his top legislative priorities in a memo to Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The document consists of four major initiatives: the first is to “Make America Safe Again,” the second is to “Make America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again,” the third is to “Drain the Swamp,” and the fourth is to “Bring Back American Values.”

“President Trump will take bold action to secure our border and protect American communities,” the document reads. “This includes ending Biden’s catch-and-release policies, reinstating Remain in Mexico, building the wall, ending asylum for illegal border crossers, cracking down on criminal sanctuaries, and enhancing vetting and screening of aliens.” It outlines the top priority of launching an unprecedented immigration enforcement action with mass deportations to “…address the record border crossings of criminal aliens under the prior administration.”

Notably, the memo includes a line emphasizing Trump will deploy U.S. military and National Guard resources to assist with the separations.

Meanwhile, Trump is also asking Congress to take up his push to unleash America’s energy industry. He intends to “…empower consumer choice in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, lightbulbs and dishwashers,” effectively ending former President Joe Biden’s Green New Deal mandates.

Trump also informed lawmakers that he is enacting a federal hiring freeze, ending the expansion of America’s unelected bureaucracy that tried to hamper the MAGA agenda during his first term in office. In addition, the memo states Trump “…is taking swift action to end the weaponization of government against political rivals and ordering all document retention as required by law.”

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President Donald J. Trump—inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States at noon on Monday, January 20, 2025—has outlined his top legislative priorities in a memo to Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The document consists of four major initiatives: the first is to "Make America Safe Again," the second is to "Make America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again," the third is to "Drain the Swamp," and the fourth is to "Bring Back American Values." show more
January 17, 2025
Immigration
Politics

Town with Huge Immigrant Population Moves to Scrap Sanctuary Status, Support Trump’s Mass Deportations.

The city of El Cajon, located in San Diego County, California, is on the verge of retracting its sanctuary status ahead of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration on Monday. However, residents of El Cajon—known for its large foreign population—forced the postponement of the measure repealing the sanctuary city law earlier this week during a contentious city council meeting.

“This is not about taking our police force and turning them into Border Patrol agents, this is about cooperating with the federal government and following the law,” El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells said, adding: “We have the federal government saying we could be prosecuted if we don’t cooperate with them, we’ve got the state government saying our police officers could be prosecuted if they do cooperate with the federal government.”

A RESPONSE TO TRUMP. 

President-elect Trump’s designated border czar, Tom Homan, has repeatedly stated that he intends to pursue legal action against law enforcement officers and state and local lawmakers who attempt to block federal immigration enforcement actions. Should El Cajon end its sanctuary status, it would come as a direct blow to Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who says he intends to resist the Trump administration’s efforts to deport possibly tens of millions of illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States.

“It is driven by an anti-immigrant fervor that is concerning for residents in El Cajon who might fear that suddenly the police will be after them, asking them for papers,” Pedro Rios, a local immigrant rights activist, said of the measure before the city council. He blamed Trump and Homan’s “fear-mongering” for the city’s decision to end its sanctuary status.

According to U.S. Census data, nearly 30 percent of El Cajon’s population was born outside the United States. Additionally, California and El Cajon’s sanctuary laws restrict state and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, preventing local enforcement from questioning individuals’ immigration statuses or notifying federal officials about the release dates of detainees.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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The city of El Cajon, located in San Diego County, California, is on the verge of retracting its sanctuary status ahead of President-elect Donald J. Trump's inauguration on Monday. However, residents of El Cajon—known for its large foreign population—forced the postponement of the measure repealing the sanctuary city law earlier this week during a contentious city council meeting. show more
January 17, 2025
William Upton
Politics

Joe Biden Pulls Last Minute Equal Rights Amendment Farce.

Soon-to-be former President Joe Biden is attempting a last-minute ratification of the so-called Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a proposed 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to enshrine abortion rights. The ERA, which legally failed ratification over 40 years ago, explicitly bars discrimination based on sex and—in theory—could pave the way for federal abortion access litigation despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“I have supported the Equal Rights Amendment for more than 50 years, and I have long been clear that no one should be discriminated against based on their sex,” Biden said in a statement announcing his determination on the amendment’s status on Friday. The 82-year-old Democrat continued: “We, as a nation, must affirm and protect women’s full equality once and for all.”

Subsequently, the Biden White House and Vice President Kamala Harris both released statements declaring the ERA “the law of the land.”

While the Biden government publicly insists the President’s statement constitutionally enshrines the ERA, government officials are privately acknowledging the announcement amounts to little more than a declaration of Biden’s opinion. The Archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen Shogan, has repeatedly stated that the ERA “cannot be certified as part of the Constitution due to established legal, judicial, and procedural decisions.”

“In 2020 and again in 2022, the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice affirmed that the ratification deadline established by Congress for the ERA is valid and enforceable,” Dr. Shogan states, adding: “Court decisions at both the District and Circuit levels have affirmed that the ratification deadlines established by Congress for the ERA are valid. Therefore, the Archivist of the United States cannot legally publish the Equal Rights Amendment.”

The U.S. Supreme Court is unlikely to uphold Biden’s determination regarding the ERA.

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Soon-to-be former President Joe Biden is attempting a last-minute ratification of the so-called Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a proposed 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to enshrine abortion rights. The ERA, which legally failed ratification over 40 years ago, explicitly bars discrimination based on sex and—in theory—could pave the way for federal abortion access litigation despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade. show more
January 17, 2025
William Upton
Politics

BREAKING: Here’s Who Is Replacing J.D. Vance in the U.S. Senate.

Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) has named his Lieutenant Governor, Jon Husted, to fill the remainder of J.D. Vance‘s term as Ohio’s senior U.S. Senator. Husted, hailing from northwestern Ohio, began his political career more aligned with the state’s political establishment—with praise from “moderate” Republicans and even the increasingly rare Ohio Democrat. However, after his ascent to state-wide office in 2011, Husted began moving to the political right.

The 57-year-old Ohio Republican was adopted by his parents, Jim and Judy Husted, in 1967, shortly after his birth. Husted has stated that neither his biological father nor mother wished to raise him. According to the Lieutenant Governor, his adoption and upbringing were crucial in the formation of his staunchly pro-life views. He has a zero percent rating from Abortion Forward, a pro-abortion and Democrat-aligned Ohio political group.

While serving as Secretary of State under then-Governor John Kasich (R-OH), Husted began increasingly shifting rightward. This was partly driven by Kasich’s embrace of more globalist political positions and the Ohio governor’s purge of critics from the state’s Republican Party. Notably, Kasich entered the 2016 Republican presidential primary as one of Donald J. Trump’s most outspoken and aggressive opponents—remaining in the contest well past any possibility of winning the nomination. Ultimately, Kasich refused to endorse Trump and did not attend the 2016 Republican National Convention. In 2020, Kasich endorsed Joe Biden during a speech at the Democratic National Convention.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Husted initially followed Gov. DeWine’s lead in promoting measures like masking. However, as the pandemic dragged on, he became increasingly critical of DeWine’s restrictive health measures—primarily pushed by former Director of the Ohio Department of Health, Dr. Amy Acton.

On immigration, Husted has been a staunch opponent of Democrat policies granting driver’s licenses and social security numbers to those who enter the country illegally. Yet, Husted has also backed expanding legal immigration through work visas—claiming it is necessary for Ohio’s economy.

In 2020, Husted served as co-chairman of the Trump campaign in Ohio, and he backed Trump during the 2024 Republican primary and general election.

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Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) has named his Lieutenant Governor, Jon Husted, to fill the remainder of J.D. Vance's term as Ohio's senior U.S. Senator. Husted, hailing from northwestern Ohio, began his political career more aligned with the state's political establishment—with praise from "moderate" Republicans and even the increasingly rare Ohio Democrat. However, after his ascent to state-wide office in 2011, Husted began moving to the political right. show more
Christopher Wray FBI
January 17, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Corruption
Politics
TRUMP TRANSITION 2024/5

FBI Told to Retain Docs on Shuttered DEI Office as Trump Suspects Corruption.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to hold on to records from its now defunct diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office, suspecting possible corruption. The FBI closed the DEI office in December, publicly confirming its closure earlier this week. President-elect Trump believes the office was closed only because of his election victory and corruption within the agency.

“We demand that the FBI preserve and retain all records, documents, and information on the now closing DEI Office—Never should have been opened and, if it was, should have closed long ago,” Trump said on Truth Social on Thursday, January 16. “Why are they closing one day before the Inauguration of a new Administration? The reason is CORRUPTION!” he added. The FBI has not given a reason for the office’s closure.

President-elect Trump has nominated former federal prosecutor Kash Patel to replace outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray. The announcement led former Special Agent Daniel Brunner to release a panicked statement claiming Patel could do “massive damage” to the agency’s “interior.”

Last month, another report revealed that the FBI had reportedly spied on Patel’s communications when he was investigating the agency’s actions during the Russia hoax, obtaining phone and email records.

Patel has many endorsements, however, including from the National Police Association (NPA), which stated that Patel has a “proven record of leadership” and labeled him an “ideal candidate to restore faith in the FBI’s mission.”

The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam has also endorsed Patel, stating that the incoming Trump administration needs an entire cabinet filled with people similar to Patel who will take on the Deep State.

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President-elect Donald J. Trump has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to hold on to records from its now defunct diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office, suspecting possible corruption. The FBI closed the DEI office in December, publicly confirming its closure earlier this week. President-elect Trump believes the office was closed only because of his election victory and corruption within the agency. show more
January 16, 2025
William Upton
Corruption
Politics

Biden Attacks Wealthy ‘Oligarchy’ After Being Bankrolled by Mega-Donors and Dark Money.

In his long-awaited farewell address to the nation, Joe Biden warned Americans that the country faces an emerging “oligarchy”—specifically pointing to the tech industry—that is flooding elections with so-called “dark money.” However, the Democrats received far more funding that Donald Trump during the November elections, with a majority of the wealthy backing the left-leaning establishment party.

Biden claimed ultra-wealthy individuals in the technology sector pose a significant threat to democracy in thinly veiled comments mostly directed at Elon Musk. Notably, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and other business leaders will attend President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration alongside his cabinet nominees on January 20. Biden’s remarks may ring hollow to many Americans, as the Biden campaign was the top beneficiary dark money donations, raking in a record-breaking $145 million.

The total dark money that flowed into the 2020 election surged to over $1 billion and largely benefited Democratic Party candidates in 2024. The problem of dark money has become so prolific that Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has called for the repeal of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and for passage of new election regulations that would effectively end the Democrat Party’s dark money behemoth.

BIG TECH & OLIGARCHS. 

The outgoing Democratic president’s concerns about the power of technology industry moguls surprised many as well. It was the Biden government that pressured social media platforms to censor Americans’ opinions online. In August last year, Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted his companies worked in conjunction with the Biden government to censor COVID-19 content that Biden’s staff found to be contradictory to their public positions, even if it was factual. Zuckerberg has now pledged to end his partisan political contributions to Democrat-aligned election groups.

While Biden decried the threat of oligarchy, some of his most prominent political backers are individuals many would describe as oligarchs. George Soros and Reid Hoffman have been heavily supporting Biden’s campaigns. Biden even awarded Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this month.

Polling data suggests Biden’s political hypocrisies have fueled widespread disapproval of the 82-year-old. Data released on Wednesday shows Biden’s favorable rating at just 33 percent and his unfavorable rating at nearly 60 percent.

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In his long-awaited farewell address to the nation, Joe Biden warned Americans that the country faces an emerging "oligarchy"—specifically pointing to the tech industry—that is flooding elections with so-called "dark money." However, the Democrats received far more funding that Donald Trump during the November elections, with a majority of the wealthy backing the left-leaning establishment party. show more
January 16, 2025
William Upton
Politics

Ron Names Ex-Campaign Manager as New Attorney General?!

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is elevating his former campaign manager and current Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier, as Florida’s next Attorney General, replacing Ashley Moody who was named to fill the state’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. During the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Uthmeier—an attorney with deep ties to Florida’s former Senator and President-elect Donald J. Trump’s Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio—was one of DeSantis’s top individual fundraisers. However, the DeSantis aide’s methods of pulling in donor cash have faced ethical scrutiny.

Investigative journalist Laura Loomer reports that Uthmeier raised $423,042 in the hours after DeSantis declared his presidential ambitions in May 2023. Uthmeier allegedly used his perch as the Florida governor’s Chief of Staff to pressure lobbyists and major donors in the state to contribute to DeSantis and the Never Back Down super PAC in exchange for having continued access to the governor’s office.

After several campaign staff shakeups during the initial months of the Republican primary, DeSantis demoted his then-campaign manager, Generra Peck, and replaced her with Uthmeier. Just 35 years old at the time, Uthmeier had no substantive campaign experience—having previously served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce and worked at the establishment law firm Jones Day.

As the Never Back Down super PAC fl0undered in the closing days of the Republican presidential primary, Uthmeier pushed the pro-DeSantis group to abandon its TV ad campaigns in early December 2023 and instead take on much of the Florida governor’s get-out-the-vote operation. After nearly coming in third place in Iowa just a month later, DeSantis exited the presidential primary contest, removing one of the last hurdles to President-elect Trump receiving the Republican nomination.

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Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is elevating his former campaign manager and current Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier, as Florida's next Attorney General, replacing Ashley Moody who was named to fill the state's vacant U.S. Senate seat. During the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Uthmeier—an attorney with deep ties to Florida's former Senator and President-elect Donald J. Trump's Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio—was one of DeSantis's top individual fundraisers. However, the DeSantis aide's methods of pulling in donor cash have faced ethical scrutiny. show more
January 15, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Politics
World

Global Poll: Majority Think Trump Is Good for The World and Global Peace.

A major global poll involving 28,000 people across 24 countries has revealed that the majority believe President-elect Donald J. Trump’s presidency will be good for America, the world, and world peace. The polling was carried out by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and highlighted by its director, Mark Leonard, who noted that up to three in five people in India, China, and Russia believe in Trump’s promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Around half of respondents also believe that Trump will achieve peace in the Middle East. Trump already announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on January 15, which will include all remaining October 7 hostages being released by Hamas.

However, many of those polled, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, and South Africa, believe that China will overtake the United States as the most powerful country in the world in the next two decades.

EUROPE.

The survey contrasts the attitudes of emerging powers and economies with those in Europe, where many are allegedly fearful that America will no longer be an “upholder of global order.”

However, Europe is seeing a surge of support for its own populist parties, with around one in five German voters looking to vote for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of February’s election. In France, the National Rally remains popular, with leader Marine Le Pen topping polls for the 2027 presidential election.

In Austria, where the populist Freedom Party won last year’s election, establishment parties attempted to form a government without them. After the talks failed, the FPOe looks ready to lead the government in Austria for the first time in the party’s history.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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A major global poll involving 28,000 people across 24 countries has revealed that the majority believe President-elect Donald J. Trump's presidency will be good for America, the world, and world peace. The polling was carried out by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and highlighted by its director, Mark Leonard, who noted that up to three in five people in India, China, and Russia believe in Trump's promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. show more