Like his boss, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth isn't afraid to cut dead weight, or anyone who isn't currently serving the mission set forth by President Donald Trump's administration.
According to the Daily Caller, on Friday, Sec. Hegseth fired Navy Chief of Staff Jon Harrison, which was reported by sources familiar with the situation as "sudden."
The firing was confirmed to The Daily Caller by a War Department spokesperson, who also thanked Harrison for his service, but failed to provide any further details as to why he was suddenly relieved of command.
Appointed in January of this year, Harrison was tasked with helping implement Hegseth's military policies and organizational changes.
The statement regarding Harrison's firing from the War Department was blunt and without detail.
"He will no longer serve as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy,” the statement read. “We are grateful for his service to the Department."
The timing wasn't all that strange, though, as Harrison's removal happened to come just days after retired Navy Captain and former Republican Senate candidate in Virginia Hung Cao was confirmed by the Senate as Undersecretary of the Navy.
Pete Hegseth just fired Navy Chief of Staff Jon Harrison, and that’s not a small move.
Harrison wasn’t some mid-level name, he was one of the most entrenched power players in the Pentagon, constantly clashing with new leadership.
Hegseth’s message is crystal clear: the… pic.twitter.com/rCGtD1pnam
— TheCommonVoice (@MaxRumbleX) October 4, 2025
The Daily Caller noted:
In July, Phelan and Harrison reportedly reassigned the top two aides who were to assist Cao as he awaited confirmation, Politico reported. The officials also planned to interview all future military assistants assigned to work with Cao, allegedly aiming to limit the influence of the role.
The firing of Harrison comes in the wake of Hegseth shaking up the Pentagon and military leadership with several high-profile terminations.
Users across social media weighed in on Harrison's sudden removal.
"Time to clean house in all departments of govt," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Finally. Some moves in the right direction."
Many believe Harrison isn't the last top military leader to be sent packing, and it'll be interesting to see who goes next.
There's simply no way around it -- the "tolerant" left's seemingly never-ending supply of violent rhetoric is a problem, and we've seen that play out at every level over the past year, and especially the past month.
According to Fox News, Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones, once made a disgusting remark involving shooting the Virginia House speaker.
The nasty texts were revealed this week and were obtained by Fox News Digital. They show that the "politics of rage" is a real thing on the left, and it's not only dangerous, but life-threatening.
The texts, which were between Jones and Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester, were referencing the death of Del. Joe Johnson, D-Bristol.
Jones' texts were absolutely disgusting and disrespectful.
Fox News noted:
At the time, several House Republicans — including leadership — offered eulogizing words for Johnson, who had been known as an aisle-crossing, friendly moderate. One of those who had kind words for Johnson was then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.
Jones apparently wasn't happy with the late Democratic delegate's ability to cross the political aisle and actually do what's right for the people of the state.
Jones told Coyner in a text that Johnson "leaked everything to your [Republican] caucus. It’s why Gilbert gave him such a glowing tribute."
"If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves," Jones continued. "Send them out awash in something."
Fox News added:
At that point, Coyner appeared to attempt to rein in the conversation, texting, "Jay Jones."
But Jones continued, adding, "Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head."
"Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time," Jones continued.
Coyner had tried to get Jones to stop with the rhetoric several times, finally texting back, "Jay. Please stop."
According to the outlet, it was then that Jones made a phone call to Coyner, reportedly to lighten the mood after the nasty texts regarding putting bullets in the men he referenced.
Coyner's spokesperson confirmed the texts, and clearly knew to distance from Jones as a result.
"Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting Todd Gilbert. It's disgusting and unbecoming of any public official," the spokesperson said.
President Donald Trump and his administration have had great success in pushing forward their policies thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, especially as mostly Democrat-appointed federal judges keep trying to interrupt them.
According to the Daily Caller, the Trump administration chalked up another SCOTUS win after the high court allowed the administration to end the protections in place for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals.
Last month, a federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama stopped the administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for those Venezuelan nationals, ruling that it violated the law.
Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which leads such issues, was hamstrung by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen.
This week, the Supreme Court stepped in and lifted Chen's September ruling, marking a massive victory for the Trump administration's deportation initiatives.
“Although the posture of the case has changed, the parties’ legal arguments and relative harms generally have not,” the court’s order states. “The same result that we reached in May is appropriate here.”
The May reference was due to an earlier ruling this year that involved the high court lifting a similar order.
The Trump administration, in its efforts to have the high court step in, argued why TPS for the Venezuelan nationals should be ended.
“So long as the district court’s order is in effect, the Secretary must permit over 300,000 Venezuelan nationals to remain in the country, notwithstanding her reasoned determination that doing so even temporarily is ‘contrary to the national interest,'" the administration wrote.
Not surprisingly, Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, who make up the liberal side of the high court, dissented, saying they would not have made the same call.
Justice Jackson called the situation "another grave misuse of our emergency docket" in her dissent.
“Having opted instead to join the fray, the Court plainly misjudges the irreparable harm and balance-of-the-equities factors by privileging the bald assertion of unconstrained executive power over countless families’ pleas for the stability our Government has promised them,” Jackson wrote.
She added, "Because, respectfully, I cannot abide our repeated, gratuitous, and harmful interference with cases pending in the lower courts while lives hang in the balance, I dissent.”
It doesn't really matter, as Jackson's dissent certainly isn't going to keep the president up at night.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said he's not interested in overturning the Obergefell ruling that legalized same-sex marriage even though he dissented in the original decision, NBC News reported. The justice said this after Friday, even as a case that would challenge the ruling is pending.
The 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision changed the definition of marriage, but Alito stated during remarks at a Washington, D.C., academic conference that he believes it should remain as previously decided. "In commenting on Obergefell, I am not suggesting that the decision in that case should be overruled," he clarified.
Leftists have celebrated Supreme Court precedents like Obergefell and Roe v. Wade as ironclad and untouchable. However, the 2022 Dobbs. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization upended that viewpoint after it abolished the fiat abortion rights conferred by Roe.
A case that could have a similar impact to Obergefell is currently making its way through the Supreme Court, although its success is uncertain. Still, Alito said that wasn't an aim he was after anyway, which is a curious thing to admit before rendering a decision.
Alito decided it was required to give reassurances that the decision that unraveled abortion rights would not be repeated when it comes to the prospect of returning marriage to its natural and historical definition. "As I said in my opinion for the court in Dobbs, more than once, nothing in Dobbs was meant to disturb that decision," Alito said.
The conservative justice said he's a "working judicial originalist," which means that he "strives to achieve originalist aims while working within the framework of our legal system," The Hill reported. He used the Obergefell case as an example after the Supreme Court found that the 14th Amendment's "broad assurance of equality for all" must apply to something that would have been unthinkable to the framers.
While conceding that this was unlikely to be the original intent of the amendment, Alito said that the precedent was nevertheless untouchable. "Obergefell is a precedent of the court that is entitled to respect afforded by the doctrine of stare decisis," Alito claimed, as if all precedent is forever just by virtue of being decided once.
"And as I said in my opinion for the court in Dobbs, more than once, nothing in Dobbs was meant to disturb that decision," Alito explained. The justice said that his flexibility in upholding a decision he objects to was a better alternative to strict originalism.
"A conscientious judge has no choice but to do what the law requires. But we do not have an asinine or idiotic constitution, so an originalist judge should not cavalierly or happily embrace results that defy common sense," Alito warned.
While the Supreme Court certainly takes precedent into account, there have been several instances where it has overruled previously settled laws, even before the modern example of the Dobbs decision. In issues such as slavery and segregation, the high court has righted its wrongs in later decisions.
Regardless of Alito's reassurances, there's a chance that the case before the court that involves a former Kentucky county clerk's right to refuse to certify same-sex marriages could be the catalyst to reverse Obergefell apart from Dobbs, Fox News reported. In 2015, Kim Davis, who identified as a devout Christian, refused to officiate a wedding between David Ermold and David Moore and was forced by a lower court to pay $360,000 for their legal expenses.
Davis's attorney, Mat Staver, believes his client will win and that the decision will likely follow the high court's reconsideration of Obergefell based on the facts of the case alone. "The First Amendment should be an absolute defense to Kim Davis," Staver asserted.
"And secondly, we're asking the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell, the 2015 decision that ultimately caused this problem in the first place. For them not to review the matter, I think, is terrible for Kim Davis and also terrible for the country because they've damaged the Constitution, and only the court can fix it," Staver contends.
The decision that legalized gay marriage was made erroneously, and the precedent it set deserves to be reconsidered on that basis. Alito may wish to be diplomatic and show impartiality by supporting it in theory, but the truth is that a bad decision should be rectified no matter how unpopular it is to say so.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has canceled next week's vote in a bid to force Democrats' hand in approving Republicans' spending bill, The Hill reported. Democrats have repeatedly rejected passing a continuing resolution, which would keep the government operational for an additional seven weeks until a budget deal can be reached.
Republicans have drafted a "clean" bill that Democrats could vote on immediately to end the shutdown. Instead, they've let it drag on so that they can blame Republicans while hoping to hold out long enough to get their spending priorities funded, including reversing spending cuts made earlier this year.
However, Johnson is onto their tricks and has already been dropping hints that he might decide to cancel the vote altogether in the House of Representatives, just ahead of the Senate's revote. "The House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government," Johnson said.
Sure enough, Johnson designated a "district work period" for the week of Oct. 7-13, meaning business will not be conducted in the House of Representatives. Johnson canceled votes last week for the Senate, but he's excused the House lawmakers, who have been on recess since the shutdown began, from duty for another week.
At the beginning of last week, Johnson had promised to continue and planned to bring congressional representatives back to Washington, D.C., for the coming week. "Yes, the House will be returning next week, and they would be here this week, except that we did our work," Johnson said on Wednesday.
"But there is nothing truly that we can do, much on the floor, while the lights are almost literally out here. We have to open the government," Johnson later added.
Now it seems that both sides are unwilling to budge, and it has them locked in an impasse as the government grinds to a halt. Republicans believe they have crafted an acceptable spending bill, but Democrats continue to hold out for their pet causes as the closure drags on.
"We passed it, and it's been rejected by the Senate. So the House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government. That's plain and simple," Johnson told reporters Friday, according to Fox News.
Still, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has promised to bring his caucus to Washington, D.C. this week and has kept House Democrats in town despite the shutdown. House Republicans were expected to participate in a conference call Saturday morning as well.
Friday's downvote marks the fourth time the Senate has voted against the Republicans' effort to keep the government open with a continuing resolution. Instead, Democrats want to pack additional spending onto the budget, including $88 million in extra security for lawmakers and extending the Obamacare healthcare subsidies set to expire this year.
They also want to reverse Medicaid cuts that were included in President Donald Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill" earlier this year. Democrats also wish to reinstate funding for PBS and NPR, which are supposed to be for the public good but are just leftist mouthpieces anyway.
Democrats are playing games, both with the spending bill and the way they're characterizing the decision to shut down Congress. They have accused Republicans of purposely delaying a vote, forcing the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) needed the signature of one more lawmaker to make it happen, but will fall short now that Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) can't be sworn in.
Republicans see this for what it is as a political ploy, but Democrats believe they have another issue to club Republicans with after this. "Johnson and the House Republicans care more about protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people," Schumer claimed.
Both sides blame the other for the shutdown, but it's clear that Democrats want to make political capital that they believe comes from holding out. Unfortunately for them, they've likely gravely miscalculated as the American people saw through their tricks enough to vote against them in the first place.
President Donald Trump has achieved a major breakthrough in achieving peace between Israel and Gaza.
On Friday, the terrorist organization Hamas announced that they had accepted major portions of Trump's peace proposal. Most importantly, Hamas agreed to release the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive.
Hamas has also supposedly agreed to give up power and disarm in return for Israel withdrawing the IDF in stages from the Gaza strip.
However, not everything is set in stone yet as Egypt and Qatar, who are acting as intermediaries, have confirmed that there are still minor issues that need further negotiation.
Minor details and negotiations aside, this is the closest that Israel and Hamas have come to agreeing on a peace deal since this devastating war started on October 7th, 2023, when Hamas launched a brutal terror attack.
This announcement of Hamas accepting the major points in Trump's peace deal represents a giant victory for Trump's international diplomacy and a delivery on his promise to bring an end to this war.
Of course, there is still a lot of pressure on Hamas, as Israel has accepted the deal despite the major concessions they were forced to make. The international community has also rallied behind this agreement.
Trump took to Truth Social, warning Hamas, "An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER."
Essentially, Hamas has absolutely no choice and this peace deal represents both the best deal they can get and a deal that they really don't deserve.
Hamas's barbaric terrorism is well documented, and they really should be annihilated, but concerns about innocents caught in the crossfire are being weighed heavily.
The people of Gaza have been savaged by this war between Israel and Hamas and the death toll, though greatly exaggerated by Hamas, is undoubtedly brutal. Furthermore, millions are suffering famine and deprivation as a result of the blockade.
Trump has forced Israel to make painful concessions to achieve peace, but if Hamas backs out, total annihilation and the deaths of more innocents will undoubtedly follow.
Some have complained that this deal still favors Israel too strongly but that ignores the reality that Israel holds all the cards in this situation. It is Hamas who has been holding the people of Gaza hostage as human shields for the past two years.
Trump seems confident that common sense will win out in the end even as Sunday's deadline rapidly approaches. Should this go off without a hitch, it will represent a giant accomplishment for the Trump administration.
It was under a year ago that Democrats screeched about Trump's supposed inability to navigate international diplomacy even as former President Joe Biden watched this devastating war rage with no significant action to end it.
Hopefully, wrapping up the war in Gaza will allow the Trump administration to focus on the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine that has also raged on for far too long.
In a shocking incident in Uvalde, Texas, Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old staffer for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, lost her life after setting herself on fire at her home on Sept. 13.
This tragic event has sparked concerns over transparency as Gonzales cancels media availabilities, and the Uvalde Police Department withholds public records related to her death, as the Daily Mail reports.
Santos-Aviles had been serving as a regional district director for Gonzales since 2021. She was married but separated from her husband and was a devoted mother to one child. Her work focused on community improvement in Uvalde, part of Gonzales’ congressional district that spans from San Antonio to El Paso.
On the evening of Sept. 13, Santos-Aviles was alone in her backyard in Uvalde when she poured gasoline on herself. She was soon engulfed in flames in a horrifying act that local media, including the San Antonio Express News, described as self-immolation.
Emergency responders airlifted her to a hospital in San Antonio for urgent care. Despite efforts to save her, she passed away the following day, Sept. 14. Investigators have yet to release an official cause of death, with autopsy results still pending.
Her mother, Nora Gonzales, shared a heartbreaking detail with the Express News. "'The last thing she said is, 'I don’t want to die,'" she recalled.
In the aftermath, Rep. Tony Gonzales issued a statement expressing deep sorrow. “We are all heart-stricken by the recent news,” his statement to the Daily Mail read. “Regina devoted her profession toward making a difference in her community.”
He continued in a separate reflection on her legacy. “She will always be remembered for her passion towards Uvalde and helping the community become a better place,” Gonzales added.
However, Gonzales also took steps that limited public access to his activities. He had been scheduled to attend the opening of a new research facility at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio on Sept. 22. While he attended, media outlets were informed they were no longer welcome at the event.
The Uvalde Police Department has added to the mystery by blocking the release of records related to Santos-Aviles’ death. This includes the 911 call, videos, and police reports that are often made public during ongoing investigations. The department stated it would argue to the Texas Attorney General to keep these documents confidential.
This decision has raised questions about transparency in a city still healing from past tragedies. The relationship between Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado and Rep. Gonzales has come under particular scrutiny.
City councilman Ernest Santos voiced concerns over the police chief’s prior endorsement of Gonzales. “And unfortunately, look at what happened,” Santos told the Express News. “Here we have a chief of police endorsing this candidate, and we have this happen with an employee of Tony Gonzales.”
Santos emphasized the need for impartiality in public office. “We must remain neutral,” he continued in his statement to the Express News. “We need to make sure we do everything by the book.”
Amid the controversy, Gonzales’ campaign removed a flyer that had featured Chief Delgado’s endorsement. This move came as public attention focused on the potential conflict of interest. The removal has done little to quiet the growing unease in the community.
The death of Regina Santos-Aviles has left a profound impact on Uvalde, a tight-knit town within Gonzales’ district. As investigations continue, many are left seeking answers about the circumstances of her passing. The withheld records and canceled media access only deepen the sense of uncertainty surrounding this tragic event.
Donald Trump's FBI quietly arrested thousands across America this summer, as the president escalated his crackdown on urban crime.
City streets get more dangerous in the hot months, but the FBI sought to disrupt that pattern with Operation Summer Heat. The three-month initiative, which lasted from June 24 to Sept. 20, led to 8,629 arrests nationwide.
Agents tracked down over 30 wanted murderers and rescued over 1,000 child victims.
The FBI worked with state and local law enforcement, "executing federal warrants on violent criminals and fugitives, dismantling violent gangs and transnational criminal organizations, identifying and rescuing child victims, and resolving violent crime cases in Indian Country," the bureau said.
44,569 kilograms of cocaine, 421 kilograms of fentanyl, and 2,281 weapons were taken off the streets, the FBI added.
FBI Director Kash Patel is touting these numbers as proof that the Trump administration is making the nation safer.
"We are not messing around,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our No. 1 mission is crushing violent crime. If you hurt a child, we’re coming for you. If you jack a car, we’re coming for you. If you’re polluting our neighborhoods with deadly drugs, we’re coming for you.”
“We are grateful for Director Kash Patel and our brave FBI agents who removed more than 8,600 violent offenders from our streets this summer,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under President Trump’s directive to make America safe again, this Department of Justice will continue prosecuting violent crime and dismantling criminal gangs who are wreaking havoc in our communities.”
Operation Summer Heat came as Trump ramped up a campaign to restore public order in cities run by soft-on-crime liberals. Democrats have vehemently resisted the president's crime crackdown, accusing him of a militarized assault on democracy.
Crime in Washington, D.C., declined after Trump sent the National Guard to patrol the streets in August. Trump has since ordered federal troops to deploy to cities like Portland, Oregon, and Memphis, Tennessee, which routinely ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in America.
Democrats in Oregon have sued to stop Trump from sending the National Guard. So far in Memphis, there have been over 100 arrests in a few days.
“Since Monday, 153 arrests have been made, including 5 gang members, 48 guns seized, and 5 missing children recovered,” Bondi said.
As part of Operation Summer Heat, the FBI surged resources to Memphis, Miami, Florida, and Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, leading to 417 arrests and 159 firearms seized.
Ten FBI field offices tracked down 750 fugitives, including 30 wanted for murder, and seized over 60 firearms.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is warning that thousands of Americans will die unless Republicans agree to healthcare demands at the center of the ongoing government shutdown.
Democrats have refused to fund the government without an agreement to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
While speaking on MSNBC, Sanders blamed the shutdown on Republicans and accused them of abandoning Senate norms -- even though Republicans have put forward a routine bill to fund the government that Democrats refuse to even consider.
“Republicans need 60 votes -- that’s been the case for decades. The point of that rule is bipartisanship, negotiation. You need eight Democratic votes. OK. How do we work together to keep the government open? Republicans, for the first time in modern history, have chosen not to negotiate. They are saying it’s their way or the highway. That is not acceptable,” Sanders said.
Sanders then dropped a dramatic prediction, warning that thousands of Americans will die without the Obamacare subsidies Democrats are demanding.
"And I want everybody to understand that if we do not make changes and fight back effectively, you’re going to see 15 million Americans lose their health insurance through cuts to Medicaid and the ACA. According to studies, 50,000 Americans die each year. That’s what’s at stake,” Sanders said.
We don't like saying this, but Bernie does have one small point beneath all of his hysterical rhetoric: the fact is that these tax credits are necessary for millions of Americans to afford Obamacare, thanks to the insanely high premiums on the exchanges.
According to one analysis, premiums will more than double next year unless the tax credits are renewed.
You would think there's a lesson there about the failures of government healthcare, but Democrats want to double down on federal spending.
Nevertheless, Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), are willing to discuss extending healthcare subsidies in the future.
Republicans understand that these subsidies are popular, which is why Democrats are making such an issue out of them.
GOP lawmakers say that negotiations over Obamacare should happen later, once the government is back open. Democrats are doubling down on emotional manipulation, as usual.
We always knew that Bernie was a hysterical demagogue, but this rhetoric about Republicans wanting to usher in mass death is on another level.
Either he's just being cynical, or the old man is really starting to lose his marbles.
Nobody knows when the government shutdown will end -- but President Donald Trump can guarantee that many federal workers won't have jobs to come back to when it's over.
Working with budget hawk Russ Vought, Trump is leveraging the shutdown to escalate his rolling purge of the federal government, the New York Post reports.
Trump hinted that firings could come as soon as Friday, concentrated in agencies staffed by "Democrat" officials.
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,” Trump wrote.
Echoing Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that "thousands" of workers are facing termination, particularly those who do not support Trump's mission.
Some of the hardest-hit agencies could include the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - frequent targets of the right, where over 80% of workers have already been furloughed.
Any firings could create political pain for Democrats, who have cast themselves as defenders of the civil service -- while at the same time choosing to shutter government services over policy differences.
Democrats have refused to fund the government unless Republicans extend enhanced tax credits for the Obamacare exchanges.
Republicans say they are willing to negotiate on healthcare, but the issue should be addressed another time.
There was no end in sight to the impasse Friday as Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), continued to press their demands.
"It's Day 3 of the Trump shutdown, and the government remains closed because Donald Trump and Republicans insist on raising Americans' health care premiums and kicking millions off their insurance," Schumer said.
Schumer's hostage-taking strategy has political risks, not least the possibility that voters blame his party for the consequences of the shutdown.
Indeed, Schumer himself opposed a shutdown earlier this year, warning it would make Trump even stronger. Schumer took a drubbing from Democrats, at the time, but the senator may have been onto something.
Indeed, Trump and his Republican allies say Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot.
“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump wrote.