In an unexpected turn of events, President Donald Trump has found a rare point of agreement with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): the elimination of the federal debt limit. Both leaders, typically at odds, are rallying bipartisan support to avoid the potential economic disaster associated with the debt ceiling.
Despite their contentious history and political differences, Trump and Warren are pressing for decisive action to eradicate the debt ceiling, a move they believe could avert economic instability.
On May 30, Warren publicly advocated for the complete removal of the federal debt limit, labeling it a necessary step to prevent catastrophic economic outcomes. Criticizing proposals to increase the debt limit by $4 trillion, Warren argued that this could result in excessive benefits for wealthy individuals through tax breaks.
President Trump soon echoed Warren's sentiments about the debt ceiling on his favored platform, Truth Social. He emphasized the risks of leaving the debt limit in the hands of politicians who might misuse it, stressing its potentially disastrous impact not just on the United States but globally.
Trump acknowledged that while he supports Warren's suggestion for a $4 trillion increase, he favors implementing such a measure over a short period. This stance aligns with his broader strategy of shifting discussions toward actionable results between both parties.
Historically, Trump and Warren have shared a tumultuous relationship, with disagreements stemming from Trump's use of the nickname 'Pocahontas,' targeted at Warren's Native American ancestry claims. In 2018, Warren attempted to dispel controversy by releasing a DNA test indicating minimal Native American heritage.
Amid this newfound agreement, Trump is progressing with a spending package that successfully passed the House and is now heading to the Senate. The package controversially seeks to reduce funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an agency Warren helped establish, described by the White House as lacking accountability and being overly bureaucratic.
The proposal has stirred debates, as it's set to be deliberated upon by the Senate Finance Committee, which counts Warren among its members. This setting provides an opportunity for direct dialogue between advocates of different fiscal philosophies.
The proposed abolition of the debt ceiling has garnered mixed responses from other legislators. Among them, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has expressed skepticism, foreseeing long-term fiscal drawbacks and suggesting that raising the ceiling equates to deferral, not resolution, of debt challenges.
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) voiced opposition to Warren’s approach during a recent Fox News interview. His arguments imply a resistance to removing financial caps without addressing prolific governmental expenditure.
These developments signal a complex interplay of interests within governmental operations, as leaders navigate the challenges of policy-making alongside the need to address mounting economic pressures.
Despite agreeing on the debt limit's removal, Trump and Warren remain divergent in broader fiscal policies. Their differing views on government spending and budget allocations imply continued debate amidst this collaboration.
The path forward requires negotiation and compromise across party lines, fostering an environment where bipartisan initiatives could address widespread societal implications of fiscal policy.
As these discussions advance, all eyes remain on the potential consolidation of bipartisan support and its impact on the broader economic landscape. The agreement between Trump and Warren signals the complexities of political alliances amidst pressing national concerns.
The Trump administration is ending a shadowy watchlist that was used to surveil travelers on domestic flights, citing evidence the program was abused to target critics of the Biden administration including Tulsi Gabbard.
Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Quiet Skies program was "weaponized" to harass political foes and reward friends like Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen (Nh.), who reportedly lobbied the Biden administration to take her husband off the list.
CBS News reported that Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs committee, removed her husband from the list, which flags travelers for random checks by federal Air Marshals.
William Shaheen, a Lebanese American attorney, had been flagged in 2023 for traveling with a "known or suspected terrorist." Senator Shaheen reached out to the former head of TSA, David Pekoske, about the incident, and two days later her husband was placed on a special "VIP" list exempting him from surveillance.
The DHS blasted Shaheen for allegedly seeking, and receiving, favored treatment.
"Despite William Shaheen traveling with a known or suspected terrorist three times, then TSA Administrator Pekoske gave explicit direction to exclude Shaheen from the Silent Partner Quiet Skies list," the DHS said in its press release.
"After Senator Shaheen directly lobbied then former Administrator Pekoske, on her husband’s behalf, Pekoske granted Billy Shaheen a blanket Quiet Skies exemption."
The government's travel watchlists have long been criticized as opaque and arbitrary, including by Gabbard - a former Democrat and longtime civil liberties advocate who now serves as Trump's top intelligence official. She was added to Quiet Skies list in 2024, reportedly by a computer algorithm, without explanation.
At the time, Gabbard decried the move as an attempt by the Biden "regime" to intimidate a critic.
“The TSA placed me on the Quiet Skies domestic terror watchlist in what I can only describe as the ultimate betrayal,” she said in a post on X in September. “The Harris-Biden regime has now labeled me a domestic terror threat. Why? They see me as a threat to their power.”
Senator Shaheen claims she was not aware her husband was on a watchlist when she contacted TSA about his "degrading" treatment.
"Senator Shaheen sought to understand the nature and cause of these searches," the senator said. "Any suggestion that the Senator’s husband was supposedly included on a Quiet Skies list is news to her and had never been raised before this week. Nor was she aware of any action taken following her call to remove him from such a list."
In a press release, the DHS called the Quiet Skies program a political tool and a waste of taxpayer money that did not prevent terrorism attacks.
“It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration—weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends. I am calling for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security,” Noem said.
She was one of Joe Biden's most loyal defenders during his presidency - but now Karine Jean-Pierre is singing a different tune as she tries to cash in on her White House tenure.
With her book Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, Jean-Pierre is recasting herself as a free-thinker, despite her role in helping to cover up Biden's cognitive decline. Adding insult to injury, she is leaving the Democratic party.
The ex-press secretary's treacherous about-face has emboldened former insiders to speak bluntly about her qualifications, with some calling her incompetent and a burden on her colleagues.
During her time on the podium, Jean-Pierre became known for her clumsy delivery and overreliance on notes. She was the second person to serve as Biden's chief White House spokesman, taking over the role from Jen Psaki in 2022.
As questions mounted about Biden's cognitive health, Jean-Pierre vouched for his fitness - calling him "sharp as ever" after his infamous debate meltdown, which led to the unraveling of his re-election bid and presidency.
"Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States," Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Wednesday.
"At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country."
Her effort to recast her White House role as a passive observer has infuriated former colleagues, who accuse her of a cynical cash grab.
"The hubris of thinking you can position yourself as an outsider when you not only have enjoyed the perks of extreme proximity to power — which ... bestows the name recognition needed to sell books off your name — but have actively wielded it from the biggest pulpit there is, is as breathtaking as it is desperate ... It's difficult to see how this is anything but a bizarre cash grab," a former Biden communications official told Axios.
Her brazen new venture has also emboldened former colleagues to speak bluntly about the way she was "coddled" inside the White House.
As one official said, "The amount of time that was spent coddling [Jean-Pierre] and appeasing her was astronomical compared to our attention on actual matters of substance."
Her critics also say she is making a mistake by severing ties with the Democrats, given her reliance on the party for career advancement.
"Today Karine lost the only constituency that ever supported her — party line Democrats," one official said.
An accomplice in the recent bombing of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs was arrested by FBI agents at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
Daniel Park, 32, was taken into custody after being deported from Poland. He is accused of supplying ammonium nitrate to the 25-year-old primary suspect, Guy Edward Bartkus, who died in the blast on May 17.
Park, of Kent, Washington, spent months plotting the attack with Bartkus, traveling to his California home for about two weeks to experiment with bomb-making materials in his garage, United States Attorney Bill Essayli said.
Park shipped another 90 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a chemical that can be used to make bombs, just days before the attack, and used an AI chatbot to assist with building the device.
FBI officials called the explosion an act of terrorism and possibly the largest bombing in Southern California's history. No human embryos were damaged at the American Reproductive Centers, which provides services like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to help couples struggling to conceive children.
The blast injured four people and damaged the fertility clinic and other buildings in the vicinity. A cellphone at the crime scene linked Park to the attack.
A search of Park's home uncovered a large volume of explosive materials and handwritten chemical equations, including "an explosive recipe that was similar to the Oklahoma City bombing,” FBI Assistant Director in charge Akil Davis said.
Park is charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist. He appeared at a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, where he waived a probable cause hearing until his prosecution in California.
He was arrested in New York following his deportation from Poland, where he had fled four days after the bombing.
"Bringing chaos and violence to a facility that exists to help women and mothers is a particularly cruel, disgusting crime that strikes at the very heart of our shared humanity," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
"We are grateful to our partners in Poland who helped get this man back to America and we will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law."
The two suspects met on the internet, where they exchanged nihilistic, anti-natalist views calling for humans to be wiped out.
"They don't believe that new life should be created, [or] that it should not be created without consent," Essayli said. "That is the reason that we believe they likely targeted the location that they did. That's why we're calling this a terrorist attack. The location was not a coincidence."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Somehow, in America, the month of June has been turned into a celebration of a lifestyle chosen by a minority of residents.
It's promoted as "Pride month" for the small percentage who have adopted LGTB ideologies.
Except in one bar, it's not "Pride month;" it's "Heterosexual Awesomeness Month."
"After all,' the promoters at Old State Saloon in Idaho say, "if it weren't for heterosexuals, none of us would be here!"
The bar managers explained, "OFFICIAL: Heterosexual Awesomeness Month begins Sunday. Join us all of June to celebrate God, country, family, freedom and HETEROSEXUALITY."
Promoted are "Beer for Breeders Monday," where, "All heterosexual males dressed like heterosexual males receive one free draft," and Duo Deal Wednesdays," with "15% off entire food and beverage bill for heterosexual couples."
A report at Not the Bee cites the "glorious replacement" for Pride events.
There's a testimonial: “The Trans Deception” With Luke Healy is now up on our Oldstate Salooncast Rumble channel.
And there's a note the "Pride" agenda is fading in many places.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A panel of judges at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has heard arguments from the state of Washington, where officials want to force a church organization to hire and employ workers who refuse to follow its faith standards.
The case involves Union Gospel Mission of Yakima, which sued the state for a "Washington Law Against Discrimination" that it explains violates its constitutionally protected religious rights.
The state's intent is to prevent ministries from hiring only people who share their faith, for nonministerial positions.
The issue brought up a question from U.S. Circuit Judge Daniel Bress, who wondered, "What is a church supposed to do? If somebody applies and says, 'I just strongly disagree with the church's religious beliefs,' would we say they have, nonetheless, a state law right, to be able to be considered irrespective of that?"
He explained, "That would seem to be a major intrusion on the church."
There's an injunction against the state enforcing its discriminatory demands against the church at this point, and church lawyers urged the appeals court to leave that in place.
The organization runs a homeless shelter, recovery program, and thrift store, and provides meal services to those in need, according to a report from Courthouse News.
It believes it should be allowed the freedom to hire those who follow its faith values, "such as abstaining from 'sexual immorality, including adultery, non-married cohabitation, and homosexual conduct,'" the report said.
An ADF lawyer, for the church, said, "The First Amendment does not allow the government to force a religious organization to hire someone who rejects its faith."
He added, "That's why the protection here is incredibly important, and the recognition that church autonomy can still protect a hiring decision that is what pretty much all religious organizations do, which is to ask those who work for them to share and live out their beliefs."
The state has claimed it will not enforce its law against the church, but the judges were skeptical of the value of that promise.
The state, through Deputy Solicitor Cynthia Alexander, blasted the church: "They want to be able to discriminate in hiring for any position, whether ministerial or nonministerial," she said.
She claimed, "For all practical purposes, it would immunize religious organizations from having to comply with any state or federal law that contains a small business exception, or really any categorical exception, including those like the one at issue here that applies it identically to religious and secular organizations."
The state previously had an exemption from its discrimination laws for religious nonprofits, but targeted them by removing it.
A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from deporting suspected firebomber Mohamed Soliman's wife and five children, the Daily Wire reported. The 45-year-old and his family overstayed their visas by months prior to the alleged terrorist attack.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at pro-Israel demonstrators at a protest on Sunday. He was allegedly heard shouting "free Palestine" and "end Zionism" while doing so.
Soliman is accused of maiming a dozen of the protesters, including an 88-year-old holocaust survivor. Soliman's family is being held at a Texas immigration detention center as authorities are "investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack," the DHS said.
The man's wife, Hayem El Gamal, and five minor children arrived in the U.S. from Egypt in 2022. They were on a tourist visa, which expired in March after being extended by the Biden administration.
Despite the seriousness of the alleged crime and expired visas, Gallagher granted the request to halt deportation. "Defendants are temporarily restrained and enjoined from removing Hayem El Gamal and her five minor children from the State of Colorado or the United States," the decision states.
BREAKING: Colorado federal judge Gordon Gallagher, a Biden appointee, has issued an order blocking the Trump administration from deporting the wife and five children of Boulder terror suspect Mohamed Soliman. pic.twitter.com/Lo8R1Yp19E
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 4, 2025
Federal immigration officials are barred from deporting Soliman's family pending action from the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Gallagher said the situation's "urgency and an ongoing jury trial resulting in the unavailability" of the judge warrants such swift action.
The restraining order will remain in effect until the next hearing scheduled to take place on June 13. Before the attack, Soliman applied for asylum on behalf of his family, which adds another layer of protection from immigration action, the defense's attorney Eric Lee claimed.
"It’s a basic principle of any democracy that individual responsibility is required for punishment or detention. Only in a police-state dictatorship are measures of collective punishment used against the population, especially against asylum seekers, and especially against asylum seekers as young as 4 years old," Lee said, according to the Denver Post.
While the courts make overtures to the downtrodden with this case, the fact remains that Soliman is accused of a truly heinous crime. According to the Associated Press, authorities are investigating whether Soliman plotted and executed Sunday's attack in Boulder, Colorado, with his family's help.
He has been charged under federal hate crime statutes and state attempted murder counts, while his family was also detained for immigration violations. Soliman allegedly confessed to the crime that left victims badly burned and witnesses shaken.
Rachelle Halpern, who was at the demonstration when the attack occurred, recalled seeing Soliman walking around with what looked like a pesticide spray canister just prior to the attack. Halpern realized the danger only when she heard the crashes and people crying out.
"A woman stood one foot behind me, engulfed in flames from head to toe, lying on the ground with her husband. People immediately, three or four men, immediately rushed to her to smother the flames," Halpern said.
The judge does not seem concerned that these are not ordinary asylum seekers by any measure. If Soliman was indeed the person who carried out this attack, his wife and children should receive extra scrutiny, and certainly not special treatment.
A stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in India killed at least 11 and injured dozens more on Wednesday, People reported. More than 200,000 revelers descended on the stadium to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which won its first victory in the Indian Premier League cricket final.
The streets were flooded with more than double the number of people authorities were prepared for around the stadium in the Indian state of Karnataka. "No one expected this crowd," the state's chief minister, Siddaramaiah, said.
The situation turned deadly after some fans attempted to rush the stadium entrance, causing a bottleneck. "There were so many people trying to push through a small gate that the stampede took place," an official noted. This could be seen in photos shared by an Indian news service.
#NewsAlert | Death toll rises to 11 during stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium amidst celebration #IPLFinals #ViratKohli𓃵 #chinnaswamystadium #RCB pic.twitter.com/UnCsd9UslB
— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) June 4, 2025
Fox Sports Australia reported a witness's account at an area hospital in the aftermath of the event. "I was standing near the entrance, there was a huge crowd and they stamped on me," an injured woman who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.
"I was not able to breathe. I fell unconscious," she added. The woman was seated in a wheelchair after an apparent injury related to the stampede.
Siddaramaiah promised a thorough investigation. "I don’t want to defend the incident, the tragedy... our government is not going to play politics on this. This tragedy should not have happened. We are with the victims," Siddaramaiah said.
According to CNN, Siddaramaiah said he was "deeply shocked by the tragic loss of lives," he told the press. "A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow," he added. The team was also "deeply anguished" by the tragedy that unfolded as fans were celebrating their victory.
Devajit Saikia, secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which governs the IPL, blamed the "popularity" of the sport. "This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organizers should have planned it better," Saikia claimed.
This latest stampede is part of what may be a troubling trend in India. On January 29, a similar crowd rush killed more than 30 people during the nation's largest religious gathering, Reuters reported.
Just as with the cricket crowd, there were too many people gathered in the space, resulting in chaos. The Hindu festival had seen nearly 200 million visitors in the first two weeks as the festival came to a crescendo on the day of the stampede.
Some tens of millions attempted to take a "holy dip" in the water in the city of Prayagraj, where the sacred rivers meet. Witnesses said that some of the routes were blocked by police, boxing in the crowd as people collapsed from suffocation, while the crowd pushed from behind.
The problem is partly to blame on local officials, but it could be just the sheer number of people in one place. As the Associated Press reported, India became the most densely populated nation in the world in 2023 after surpassing China.
U.S. policy toward Syria will change "because none of them worked" over the past century, and the country's military footprint will shrink from eight bases to one, according to the newly appointed U.S. special envoy.
The comments were made during an interview with the Turkish channel NTV late on Monday by Thomas Barrack, who was appointed special envoy by President Trump last month, just after the unexpected lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, as Breitbart News reported.
On the ground in Syria, the majority of the approximately 2,000 American troops are stationed in the northeast. Islamic State was driven back from huge parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, and they are collaborating with local forces to stop them from regaining control.
Following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December by rebels, the US and other nations are reestablishing ties with Damascus, now led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.
For the first time since 2012, Barrack—who is also the United States ambassador to Turkey—raised the American flag over the ambassador's residence in Damascus last week.
When asked about the future of U.S. troops in Syria and how the Trump administration plans to handle the situation, Barrack said:
"What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years, because none of these have worked."
An interview transcript of the recent comments shows that he mentioned cutting the number of bases from eight to one as one of the more significant aspects of that change.
In April, reporters were told by two security sources at U.S. military facilities that military equipment and trucks were already leaving eastern Deir el-Zor and were being concentrated in Hasakah province.
The withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Deir el-Zor province was supposedly part of the consolidation plan, according to one of the sources.
The military presence will be lowered "if and when appropriate," depending on conditions, according to a U.S. State Department official.
According to Barrack, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are an ally of the United States and a "very important factor" for Congress, who helps guide the policy.
He also emphasized the importance of directing them to become a part of a new Syrian government: "Everyone needs to be reasonable in their expectations," he said.
The SDF is the primary ally for the United States-led coalition against Islamic State militants in Syria.
Steve Bannon has sparked controversy by suggesting that Sen. Lindsey Graham should be detained due to Graham's advocacy and regular visits to Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia, according to DailyFetched.
Bannon accused Graham of escalating tensions and undermining former President Donald Trump’s peace initiatives.
Steve Bannon used his platform, "War Room," to criticize Sen. Lindsey Graham for his actions relating to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. His statements came after Graham applauded Ukraine's recent military actions against Russian targets.
On "War Room," Bannon made the bold suggestion that Graham should be arrested if he continues his trips supporting Ukraine. Bannon demanded that the White House condemn Graham's activities to discourage more involvement.
"The White House has to condemn this immediately," Bannon stated, expressing his belief that Graham's actions were not in line with U.S. interests. Bannon argued that Graham's ongoing support might intensify the tensions between the involved countries.
The focal point of Bannon's critique was Graham’s praise for Ukraine's drone strike on Russian aircraft. This strike is said to have caused significant damage by destroying 40 Russian military planes. Bannon warned against what he sees as a potential escalation of the conflict.
Lindsey Graham, a senator known for his hawkish foreign policy views, has been actively engaged with the Ukrainian government and supports their defense initiatives.
Graham has made multiple trips to Ukraine, and he openly commends their efforts to counter Russian aggression, as evidenced by a social media post highlighting Ukraine's tactics.
On the platform X, formerly Twitter, Graham noted that Ukraine's drone assault was a creative move against Russian military assets. He used this to underscore the severity of Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
Bannon accused Graham of undermining efforts by Donald Trump to broker peace. He suggested that Graham's actions detract from the diplomatic moves intended to resolve the situation peacefully.
In his show, Bannon emphasized his view that supporting military engagements in Ukraine counters Trump's approach to handling international disputes.
The disagreement between Bannon and Graham points to broader tensions within U.S. politics about how the country should engage with the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Bannon's call for Graham to be arrested highlights a division in American political circles on foreign policy approaches, especially regarding conflicts overseas.
Graham remains steadfast in his support, advocating for international actions against Russia and its allies. He argues that such actions will hold accountable those trading with Russia and indirectly fueling its military ventures.
In his media appearances, Graham has painted a picture of urgent moral responsibility. He argues for decisive action to isolate Russia on the world stage economically and diplomatically.