The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court decision restricting ICE from targeting individuals for investigation based on job, appearance, or spoken language.
The decision means that ICE agents are required to have specific probable cause instead of a general suspicion about an individual's citizenship.
This decision backs a decision by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong blocking ICE from making arrests based on the aforementioned factors.
The panel wrote, "We agree with the district court that, in the context of the Central District of California, the four enumerated factors at issue — apparent race, ethnicity, speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent, particular location and type of work, even when considered together — describe only a broad profile and do not demonstrate reasonable suspicion for any particular stop."
This decision will kneecap much of ICE's workplace raid operations, as targeting specific job sites is an effective tactic to find illegal immigrants. However, ICE isn't taking this decision lying down and plans for more workplace raids are steaming ahead.
The lawsuit was mostly based on a statement from a Los Angeles deputy immigration commander that ICE was targeting "certain types of businesses, including carwashes, because past experiences have demonstrated that illegal aliens utilize and seek work at these locations."
As part of ICE's extensive raids in southern California, agents have been raiding Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and in one highly publicized case, a marijuana farm in Ventura County that employed minors alongside sexual predators.
ICE's mission is an important one, but not to the leftist judges like Judge Frimpong, who was appointed by President Biden, and the judges on the notoriously leftist 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
They would rather make ICE's job harder and defend illegal immigrants and the abusive business owners exploiting cheap labor and endangering minors.
Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who is sending money to illegal immigrants, hailed the decision as a victory, saying, "The Temporary Restraining Order that has been protecting our communities from immigration agents using racial profiling and other illegal tactics when conducting their cruel and aggressive enforcement raids and sweeps will remain in place for now."
Of course, this ruling won't truly stop Trump's aggressive deportation operations, but it still demonstrates the damage that leftist judges can do by blocking the will of the American people.
For the most part, the White House has been quiet about this particular case, which will go back to a lower court for another hearing in September.
White House aide Stephen Miller took to X to say, "The ruling has just been issued. A communist judge in LA has ordered ICE to report directly to her and radical left NGOs — not the president. This is another act of insurrection against the United States and its sovereign people."
Leftist district judges still hold a lot of power to obstruct the Trump agenda but it seems likely that should this case advance to the Supreme Court, conservative justices will likely nuke this faulty ruling that has effectively declared certain areas as "safe zones" for illegal immigrants.
President Donald Trump's offhand remark about Jeffrey Epstein "stealing" Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago resort has ignited fresh outrage and speculation, the Daily Mail reported.
Trump's comment this week, claiming Epstein poached Giuffre from the spa there two decades ago, drew sharp rebukes from her family, revived conspiracy theories, and spotlighted her 2016 deposition where she cleared him of any misconduct.
Back in the summer of 2000, Giuffre, then 16, held a job as a locker room attendant at the Mar-a-Lago spa in Palm Beach, Florida.
Her father, Sky Roberts, worked as a maintenance man at the club, and the two occasionally crossed paths with Trump, though Giuffre described no close friendship between them.
That same year, Ghislaine Maxwell approached Giuffre and recruited her as a masseuse for Epstein, marking the start of troubling allegations.
Giuffre later claimed Maxwell and Epstein coerced her into serving as a sexual companion, arranging encounters with Epstein and his associates around the world when she was 17 and 18.
Among those she accused was Prince Andrew, though he and others denied the claims and challenged her reliability.
In 2022, Prince Andrew reached a settlement with Giuffre for an undisclosed amount, including a sizable donation to her organization supporting survivors.
Photographs from 1997 show Epstein and Trump together at Mar-a-Lago, and another from February 2000 captures Trump, his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, Epstein, and Maxwell at the club.
In November 2016, during a libel suit against Maxwell—who had dismissed Giuffre's accusations as falsehoods—Giuffre testified under oath about her limited encounters with Trump.
"I worked for Donald Trump and I’ve met him probably a few times," Giuffre said, specifying the meetings occurred at Mar-a-Lago.
She added that her father knew Trump casually, noting, "My Dad and him, I wouldn’t say they were friends, but my Dad knew him and they would talk... when they saw each other."
Giuffre emphasized no impropriety, stating, "Donald Trump never flirted with me," and affirmed, "True that he didn’t partake in any sex with us."
She clarified further: "I didn’t physically see him have sex with any of the girls, so I can’t say who he had sex with in his whole life or not, but I just know it wasn’t with me when I was with other girls."
Giuffre also said she never witnessed Trump and Epstein together, basing any notion of their friendship on Epstein's own words.
Tragedy struck when Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, amplifying the sensitivity around her story.
On July 29, 2025, aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters, "I think she worked at the spa, I think so, I think that was one of the people, he stole her, and by the way she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained Trump was answering a query, not initiating the topic, and stressed, "The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees."
Giuffre's family expressed shock, saying, "It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago."
They demanded clarity, adding, "We and the public are asking for answers; survivors demand this."
Sky Roberts rejected the phrasing, stating, "She wasn’t stolen, she was preyed upon at his property, at President Trump’s property," and noted, "Stolen seems very impersonal. It feels very much like an object, and the survivors are not objects, women are not objects."
President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, made it crystal clear this week that Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil will be deported, despite a roller coaster of legal challenges.
According to Newsmax, Homan, during an interview on "Finnerty," reacted to an "appeals court ruling on Wednesday preventing the Trump administration from re-detaining Khalil as it continues to appeal a federal judge's decision to release him last month."
Khalil was set to be deported by the Trump administration for his prominent role in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, along with inconsistencies on his green card.
The Trump administration's efforts to deport and re-detain him have been challenged at every turn.
Trump's border Czar held nothing back in explaining what he believes Khalil's fate will ultimately be.
He pointed out the "radical judges" that continue to try and hamstring the Trump administration's deportation efforts across the board.
"Well, look, we're going to litigate. We'll appeal the decision ... we got radical judges just trying to stop the Trump administration from doing our job and enforcing the law," he said during the interview.
Homan went on to explain that it's up to the courts to rule on what's stated in federal law, and either way, he'll be deported, one way or another.
"If the appeals court rules on the specifics of the case and rules on what the law says, there's only one ending: We detain him and deport him, but regardless, he will be deported. He's been ordered deported."
Newsmax noted:
Khalil, a green card holder who is married to a U.S. citizen, was released from federal custody in Louisiana last month by a district judge whose ruling superseded that of an immigration judge who ordered that Khalil remain detained.
Homan explained that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has the authority to cancel his visa.
"And the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has full authority to cancel a visa because [Khalil's] indifferent to our foreign policy. And it's not just what he said," Homan said. "I read all these media people, Oh, well, he has his First Amendment rights."
He reminded listeners that First Amendment rights are also limited.
"Look, First Amendment rights have a limitation, too. I can't say I'm going to kill a president, or I can't say a movie theater and say 'fire,' or I can't say something really bad about you on purpose. That's false; that's libel."
The Trump administration has vigorously contested claims dismissing the recent release of intelligence files that purportedly reveal Hillary Clinton's campaign attempted to falsely associate Donald Trump with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, the New York Post reported.
The files indicate a collaborative effort from Clinton’s team and members from the Obama administration aimed at derailing Trump's bid for the presidency.
The controversial intelligence, which includes documents recently made public by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Attorney General Pam Bondi, emerged on a Thursday, outlining an alleged orchestrated effort to smear Trump by connecting him to Russian interference.
Deputy Chief of Staff Alexa Henning vocally refuted the New York Times' claims that the intelligence was a product of Russian misinformation. This clarification came amid heated discussions on the authenticity and implications of these files.
The documents released involved a 24-page annex from special counsel John Durham’s 2023 report, which allegedly detailed the Clinton team’s strategies to question Trump's legitimacy by fabricating ties to Russia.
Liz Lyons, CIA’s spokeswoman, has stated that these maneuvers were orchestrated with Hillary Clinton's explicit approval, aiming to manipulate public perception during the heated election period.
Contrary to assertions of Russian fabrication, back in 2017, the CIA found the information on Clinton’s campaign strategies to be authentic and not influenced by any foreign adversaries. This has been corroborated by recent declassifications highlighted by Lyons.
Leonard Benardo, linked to the Open Society Foundations, was cited in FBI-analyzed emails, discussing strategies to use the Russian collusion narrative to overshadow Clinton’s own email server scandal. These emails were judged as credible by FBI analysts, showcasing potential premeditated tactics to influence both public opinion and investigative paths.
Further highlighted in Benardo's communications was a planned escalation of the Russia narrative, particularly to distract from other damaging press, illustrating an orchestration designed to sway investigative actions and media coverage.
The possibility of Clinton’s active participation in concocting the Russian collusion story was even acknowledged by Jake Sullivan, who later became Biden's national security adviser, admitting the scenario’s plausibility.
The controversial documents were discovered in disposal bags used for burning sensitive information at FBI headquarters, as noted by Senator Chuck Grassley. This finding suggested possible deliberate attempts to destroy evidence, indicating that significant measures were taken to manipulate or conceal politically sensitive information.
According to Grassley, these actions exemplify a broader pattern of deception and cover-up that permeates Washington's deep-state operations, underlining the lengths to which political entities might stretch to shield their reputations from potential scandals.
Responding to the ongoing accusations, a representative from the Open Society Foundations emphasized their commitment to nonpartisanship, vigorously denying any political campaign engagements and labeling the accusations as baseless and harmful.
The release and the ensuing controversy over these documents have not only highlighted deep political divisions but have also stimulated significant public and journalistic inquiry into the integrity of information disseminated during campaign seasons.
As debates continue and new evidence surfaces, the narrative surrounding these declassified documents is likely to evolve, hopefully paving the way for more comprehensive insights into the internal mechanics of major political campaign strategies.
After his supporters cheered the idea, President Donald Trump announced during his presidential campaign that he would work to shut down NPR and PBS -- two government-funded media outlets that took a hard left turn somewhere down the line.
According to Breitbart, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) made the bombshell announcement Friday that it would begin an "orderly wind-down" of its operations after its funding was cut off in "a rescissions bill and the Senate releasing a FY 2026 appropriations bill that excluded CPB funding for the first time since its founding."
President Trump, during his first weeks in office, signed an executive order to the same effect, with the goal of shutting off the left-leaning outlets.
Democrats threw tantrums after everything was set in stone to begin the dismantling of the networks.
The organization released a statement explaining what's happening as it begins shutting down.
"For the first time in more than five decades, CPB has been excluded from the federal budget," the organization stated.
It added, "Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations."
Breitbart noted:
The shutdown comes after President Trump signed an executive order in May halting funds to NPR and PBS, denouncing the outlets for promoting political bias on the taxpayer’s dime.
"No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies," Trump's executive order read. "At the very least, Americans have the right to expect fair, accurate, and nonpartisan coverage if their tax dollars are funding it."
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) celebrated his role in passing bills that ultimately defunded the organization.
"The American people will no longer be forced to fund politically biased media," Johnson said upon the bill's passing.
CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison released a statement on the ultimate fate of the organization.
"Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country," Harrison noted. "We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people."
It'll be interesting to see if future Democratic administrations (whenever that happens) attempt to revive it.
The GOP-controlled Senate is apparently not messing around, as it made massive progress in passing three crucial spending bills ahead of the August recess -- a feat that hasn't been witnessed since 2018.
According to the Washington Examiner, three spending bills for 2026 were passed this week, including one regarding agriculture, another involving military spending, and a third that involved legislative branch spending.
Two amendments to the budget bills were also passed by voice vote, according to official reports.
Senate Republicans had faced bipartisan resistance in their attempt to bundle the three spending bills together. The holdup stalled the bills completely and forced Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) to find a new way to get them passed.
Collins' agreement to tackle the bills a different way set up floor votes on a number of bipartisan amendments. She carved out the legislative branch funding bill at the request of Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).
The Examiner noted:
Kennedy opposed the legislative funding bill because it included what he said was the largest spending increase among all the appropriations measures, around 6%. While he credited his colleagues for their “conscientious and thoughtful work,” he argued that Congress should lead by example and rein in its own budget.
Kennedy had a problem with the price tag of the bill, and ultimately said that Congress can do better when it comes to reining in their own budget.
"Every bill that has come out of the Appropriations Committee has represented an increase in spending," said. "I think we can do better."
The Examiner provided details of some of the amendments that were passed for the budget bills.
Two amendments to the budget bills passed by voice vote: one from Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) requiring the VA Secretary to report on staffing models aimed at improving timely, high-quality delivery of care and services; and another from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) prohibiting any cuts to the Veterans Crisis Line.
The passing of the bills was significant, as Congress never enacted a full budget for 2025 and instead counted on three consecutive continuing resolutions to prevent shutdown.
What also delayed the bills, which were set to be passed after President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" was passed, was the immediate recissions package.
As soon as the $9 billion rescissions package was successfully passed, Democrats scattered, walking away from bipartisan talks.
While the August recess will be in effect, senators will stay at the Capitol and help clear a backlog of Trump nominees still awaiting confirmation.
Only time will tell if they're able to clear it.
President Donald Trump is not afraid to hand someone their walking papers, no matter what their status is or how they got the job in the first place, and that was evidenced this week in Washington D.C.
According to the New York Post, Trump dismissed the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) this week after new numbers came out that showed an uptick in unemployment on his watch.
Now-former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer is out, according to reports. She was appointed to the powerful position by former President Joe Biden.
Her latest jobs report sparked major backlash from within the White House, and from President Trump himself, who called the numbers "rigged."
President Trump was apparently so unhappy with the numbers that he accused the former BLS commish of "manipulating" the data, and went as far as accusing her of doing so in the past.
The Post noted:
Now-former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, triggered Trump’s fury after her agency announced lower than expected employment gains in July and revised the numbers for May and June downward by a total of 258,000 jobs.
"I believe the numbers were phony, just like they were before the election," Trump told reporters on Friday. "So you know what I did? I fired her."
Meet Dr. Erika McEntarfer.
Biden appointed her Commissioner of the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Erika was just caught under reporting Trump’s job numbers after over reporting Joe’s to help Kamala’s election chances.
Trump just fired her.
These traitors are everywhere. pic.twitter.com/loHU4TKLgk
— C3 (@C_3C_3) August 1, 2025
The Post added:
A BLS spokesperson confirmed McEntarfer “was terminated today” and Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will take over on an acting basis.
Trump continued his rant against the former BLS commissioner in a Truth Social post.
"This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000,” the president wrote. “These were Records — No one can be that wrong?"
Users across social media reacted to Trump's firing of the McEntarfer.
"This is really upsetting but not surprising, unfortunately. What a shame that so many people are so dishonest," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "I’m feeling like they are all a bunch of crooks and traitors. THE ONLY ONES WORKING HARD FOR MAGA ARE TRUMP AND HIS CABINET!!!"
In an eye-opening interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, former Vice President Kamala Harris announced her retreat from political campaigns for the time being, pointing to what she says are deep-seated issues within the system, as the New York Post reports.
Harris emphasized her decision not to pursue any future political office during her first show appearance in the wake of her election loss.
During the interview, Harris shared her reflections on her recent presidential campaign and the broader political landscape, which she described as "broken". This sentiment captured her disillusionment following a challenging race.
The former VP, after raising a staggering $1 billion for her presidential bid, faced a stark defeat, not securing the popular vote, the Electoral College, or any swing states against Donald Trump. She highlighted these outcomes as revelations of systemic shortcomings.
"I always believed that, as fragile as our democracy is, our systems would be strong enough to defend our most fundamental principles. And I think, right now, they’re not as strong as they need to be," Harris remarked, expressing her deep concerns about the state of American democracy.
Signaling a shift away from traditional political roles, at least for now, Harris declared she would not run to become California governor in 2026, opting instead to focus on grassroots engagements. Her future efforts will concentrate on connecting with Americans in a more personal, non-transactional manner.
She plans to travel the country extensively, aiming to understand the lived experiences and views of the citizens without the customary political exchanges of campaigning. This approach, she hopes, will foster deeper, more meaningful conversations.
In line with her new direction, Harris is also set to promote her upcoming book, 107 Days, which delves into the intricacies and personal experiences of her presidential campaign, offering readers a glimpse behind the political curtain.
Despite stepping down from political candidacy, Harris affirmed her ongoing commitment to societal issues, hinting at continued involvement in public advocacy. "Oh, absolutely not. I’m always going to be part of the fight," she stated firmly in the interview.
She also shared personal coping mechanisms used in the aftermath of the 2024 election, such as avoiding news consumption for months, equating it to avoiding "self-mutilation." This reflective period helped her manage the emotional aftermath of her public and personal setbacks.
Harris further noted that she never envisioned herself as a presidential candidate from a young age, a sentiment that differentiates her path from those typically driven by lifelong presidential aspirations.
When probed by Colbert about the figures currently leading the Democratic Party, Harris chose not to name names, avoiding potential controversy from inadvertently excluding important figures.
The interview marked a crucial public reemergence for Harris, in which she candidly discussed her professional disillusionments and future intentions, laying out a blueprint for her continued advocacy outside the electoral arena.
Colbert, taken aback by Harris's resolutions, described her stance on stepping away from the political fray as "harrowing," emphasizing the significant emotional and professional weight of her decisions as expressed during the show.
President Donald Trump is building a big, beautiful ballroom at the White House.
The $200 million renovation will begin in September and is being paid for by Trump and private donors. It is the first major update to the White House complex since Harry Truman was president.
The administration says the project addresses space constraints that have forced presidents to host world leaders in "unsightly" tents on the lawn.
The largest room in the White House currently, the East Room, holds 200 people. The new, 90,000-square-foot ballroom will seat 650.
The White House shared artistic renderings of the "exquisite" white-and-gold ballroom, which will be situated where the "small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits," White House officials explained.
"Nothing will be torn down,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Through the years, Trump has been known to entertain foreign dignitaries at his palatial Mar-A-Lago estate, sometimes called the Winter White House.
In his second term as president, the keen-eyed real estate mogul has endeavored to elevate the presidential mansion with his famous taste for opulence.
Last month, Trump had "beautiful" flagpoles installed on the White House lawn, stopping by to survey the work himself. He is also paving over the Rose Garden and has added gold touches to the Oval Office.
With work beginning next month, there is plenty of time for the ballroom to be finished up before Trump's term ends.
"I'm good at building things. And we'll get it built quickly and on time. It'll be beautiful," he said of the ballroom project.
"I always said I was going to do something about the ballroom because they should have one. So we'll be leaving it. It'll be a great legacy project and I think it'll be special," Trump added.
Trump emphasized his respect for the White House, noting that the ballroom will not touch the main building.
"It won't interfere with the current building ... It'll be near it, but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of. It's my favorite," Trump said.
"The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserve the special history of the white House, while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future administrations and generations of Americans to come," White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said.
Wiles added, "President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail."
Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) suffered a nasty fall at the Capitol on Wednesday, prompting colleagues in both parties to come to her aid. The moment was captured live on C-SPAN.
The lawmaker waved to somebody on the chamber floor, then leaned on a small desk with her arms folded, causing her to lose balance and fall down.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) rushed to help Warren get up as other lawmakers watched in concern.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, with some citing it as a sign that the 76-year-old should retire. But others were more forgiving.
"Guys, come on. She leaned against a desk and the desk weighed three ounces. This could happen to anyone. Let's not be them. THEY'RE the ones who do this," wrote one conservative user.
🚨Elizabeth Warren just FELL on the Senate floor pic.twitter.com/J3GH6y0Red
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 31, 2025
Questions about age have increasingly gripped the Capitol, with three House Democrats dying in office this year. Several prominent lawmakers are in their 80s, and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA) is 91.
Warren's fall came as the Senate voted on 83-year-old Bernie Sanders' proposal to block the sale of American weaponry to Israel, which has faced international condemnation over its bombardment of Gaza.
The resolution failed, with every Republican voting no and 27 Democrats, including Warren, voting in favor.
Once seen as a rising star on the progressive left, Warren has seen her influence wane since her 2020 presidential campaign fizzled out.
The millionaire and former professor became known in the 2010s for her wonky brand of tax-the-rich liberalism that appealed to college-educated progressives.
She has faced criticism through the years over her controversial claims to Cherokee heritage, which she infamously attempted to prove with a DNA test, sparking backlash from native tribes. Warren took the test as she prepared to run for president in 2020 and after pressure from President Trump, who labeled her "Pocahontas."
Trump also poked fun at Warren over a notorious campaign video in which she drank beer in her kitchen.
"Best line in the Elizabeth Warren beer catastrophe is, to her husband, 'Thank you for being here. I’m glad you’re here' It’s their house, he’s supposed to be there!" Trump wrote at the time on X, then known as Twitter.
While we do not care for Warren's lefty politics, we are glad to see that she appears to be doing just fine.