Vice President J.D. Vance blasted the courts after several blocked President Donald Trump's immigration policies that the American people support, the Daily Wire reported. Vance expressed his outrage about this during an interview with Ross Douthat at the New York Times.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump made it clear that he would crack down on illegal immigration. He has kept that promise from day one of his presidency, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport dangerous illegal immigrant gang members.
However, the courts have attempted to thwart these policies at every turn. Vance spoke at length about this with Douthat on his "Interesting Times" podcast, which was released on Monday.
Vance took exception with the judiciary, mostly for its unwillingness to listen to the will of the people. "You cannot have a country where the American people keep on electing immigration enforcement, and the courts tell the American people they’re not allowed to have what they voted for," Vance told Douthat.
"And that’s where we are right now," the vice president added. Vance promised that they were going to continue to fight, however. "We’re gonna keep working it through the immigration court process, through the Supreme Court as much as possible," Vance said.
"And look, success to me is not so much a number, though obviously I’d love to see the gross majority of the illegal immigrants who came in under Biden deported. That actually is a secondary metric of success," he added, speaking about then-President Joe Biden's lax immigration enforcement.
"Success to me is that we have established a set of rules and principles that the courts are comfortable with, and that we have the infrastructure to do what allows us to deport large numbers of illegal aliens when large numbers of illegal aliens come into the country. That to me is real success," Vance added.
Vance believes the only way to get this done is through cooperation with the courts. However, the administration has met particular resistance with its decision to use the Alien Enemies Act.
Trump has attempted to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to swiftly remove illegal immigrants who are gang members from the U.S. As CNN reported, the Supreme Court again blocked its use in a decision Friday.
Vance believes this is a mistake because legal immigrants are the most invested in rooting out dangerous criminals in the migrant community. "One thing I’d love for the American media to do a little bit more is really go to a migrant community where you have, say, 60% legal immigrants and 40% illegal immigrants," Vance explained.
"The level of chaos, the level of violence, the level of, I think, truly pre-modern brutality that some of these communities have gotten used to — whatever law was written, I think it vests us with the power to take very serious action against this," he explained.
"It’s bad, it’s bad. It’s worse than people appreciate," Vance said. He warned naysayers not to "filter" how they feel about immigration enforcement with the fact that Trump and Vance are the ones who wish to do it.
Americans voted to fix the problems with illegal immigration, and Vance is correct that the courts are working against that end. The good news is that the Trump administration will surely press on until the problem is properly addressed, just as they promised.
According to the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver is facing assault charges following a confrontation with federal officers outside of an immigration detention facility.
According to a social media post by Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, McIver is facing charges of assault, obstruction, and interference with law enforcement. However, the court documents that would provide more details regarding these charges were not immediately made public or released online.
Rarely do federal criminal charges other than fraud or corruption land a sitting congressman in court, as in the case of McIver, as The Hill reported.
"It’s political intimidation, and I’m looking forward to my day in court,” she said Tuesday. McIver had called the charges “purely political” in a statement on Monday night and said she looked forward “to the truth being laid out clearly in court.”
She continued by stating that she and her coworkers were reacting to inappropriate behavior by law enforcement.
“Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district. We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short," the lawmaker said.
"Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka,” she said.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche came to Habba’s aid in a statement on X, saying that “assaults on federal law enforcement will not be tolerated.”
Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka was arrested on May 9, along with McIver and two other House Democrats, but Habba says her office has withdrawn the trespassing charges against him.
"After extensive consideration, we have agreed to dismiss Mayor Baraka's misdemeanor charge of trespass for the sake of moving forward," Habba said.
I echo what @USAttyHabba has made clear: assaults on federal law enforcement will not be tolerated. This Administration will always protect those who work tirelessly to keep America safe. https://t.co/v8bMYwtY7i
— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) May 20, 2025
After the DOJ filed the charges against the Democrat for her alleged assault on police officers, Republican Representative Nancy Mace made the announcement that she had submitted a resolution to oust McIver from Congress.
According to Mace, "Mclver didn't just break the law, she attacked the very people who defend it.
"Attacking Homeland Security and ICE agents isn't just disgraceful, it's assault. If any other American did what she did, they'd be in handcuffs.
McIver thinks being a member of Congress puts her above the law. It doesn't. She should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace files a resolution to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver after the DOJ charged the Democrat with allegedly assaulting law enforcement: pic.twitter.com/Zfa3CrMLsG
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) May 21, 2025
The Daily Mail reported that Wendy McMahon has decided to step down from her role as CEO of CBS News. This follows internal disagreements over the network's business direction and the ongoing $20 billion lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump.
McMahon's departure comes amidst significant executive turnover and declining ratings within CBS News.
McMahon announced her resignation on Monday, marking a turbulent period for CBS News. She expressed discontent with the network's current trajectory, emphasizing her misalignment with recent business decisions. Her exit was first reported by The New York Times, three months after speculation about her potential removal had surfaced.
Central to the turmoil at CBS News is the lawsuit initiated by Donald Trump regarding a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris. The suit amounts to $20 billion and alleges deceptive editing of the interview. CBS maintains that edits were necessary due to time restrictions.
Both McMahon and Bill Owens, previously at the helm of "60 Minutes", opposed proposals to resolve the lawsuit. They were joined by Shari Redstone from CBS's parent, Paramount, in settlement discussions, highlighting the contentious nature of the case within the company.
In an internal memo, McMahon described her tenure as a valuable chapter of her career, while acknowledging the difficult circumstances that have affected the network. She thanked her colleagues for their passion and dedication.
McMahon's leadership at CBS News was marked by a worrying dip in viewership, particularly among the demographic aged 25-54. Her initiatives, which featured magazine-style elements introduced to the CBS Evening News, failed to resonate with the audience, leading to a ratings decline.
Amid these challenges, rumors of discord between McMahon and then-deputy Adrienne Roark emerged, with Roark resigning after a brief tenure. Insiders suggested neither McMahon nor Roark possessed the necessary editorial experience for their roles at CBS.
The executive turnover at CBS News is further underscored by the earlier departures of Neeraj Khemlani and Susan Zirinsky, contributing to a period of instability in leadership.
Meanwhile, a potential media merger between Paramount and Skydance is on the horizon, awaiting approval from the Trump administration. This development may affect both CBS's strategic direction and its legal battles.
Following McMahon's resignation, George Cheeks, Co-CEO of Paramount Global, will temporarily oversee CBS News operations. McMahon's former deputies will now report directly to Cheeks, as the network seeks stable leadership amid ongoing challenges.
In her farewell memo, McMahon expressed gratitude for the chance to lead CBS News, saying, "To George: Thank you for this opportunity." She also extended her thanks to CBS's viewers, emphasizing the role of accountability and trust in journalism.
Bill Owens expressed admiration for McMahon's dedication to her team, despite the obstacles she faced during her tenure. "Fighting for her team week by week," he noted, underscoring the struggles with which McMahon contended.
As CBS News navigates this period of transition, industry watchers will closely follow whether the network's strategic adjustments can reverse declining ratings and resolve its legal entanglements. In closing her memo, Wendy McMahon remarked on the privilege of leading such an "extraordinary organization," reflecting on the professional challenges and rewarding experiences made during her time with CBS News.
The Supreme Court has upheld President Trump's authority to deport more than 300,000 Venezuelans who received a form of amnesty from Joe Biden.
The ruling wasn't close, with only one liberal justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, voicing dissent. The case has to do with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which was abused during the Biden era to wave hundreds of thousands of aliens into the country from nations like Venezuela and Haiti.
Established in 1990, TPS was meant to allow immigrants fleeing war or disaster to live and work temporarily in the United States. Under Biden, TPS was repurposed into another weapon or tool in an effort to permanently resettle millions of people in the United States.
Biden's Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, renewed TPS status for nearly 1 million immigrants shortly before the end of Biden's term, giving the whole game away.
The Trump administration has emphasized that temporary legal status should be just that - temporary. In February, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked TPS for 350,000 Venezuelans, finding that a Biden-era extension was "contrary to the national interest."
A district court blocked Noem's move nationwide, continuing a pattern of judicial activism that has prevented Trump from exercising the core powers of his office.
The ruling from District Court Judge Edward Chen "wrested control of the nation's immigration policy away from the Executive Branch and imposed the court's own perception," Trump's Solicitor General John Sauer wrote to the Supreme Court.
"The district court's decision undermines the Executive Branch's inherent powers as to immigration and foreign affairs," Sauer wrote.
Chen, an Obama appointee, claimed that Trump had singled out Venezuelans because of race. The judge insisted there were no good reasons for ending their TPS status, pointing to the supposed economic benefits of letting them live and work in the U.S. continually.
The Supreme Court's ruling lifts Chen's blatantly political injunction, allowing Trump to move forward with deportation proceedings while litigation continues.
Ahilan Arulanantham, one of the lawyers for the Venezuelans, called Trump's move "the largest single action stripping any group of noncitizens of immigration status in modern US history.”
The tone of this complaint could almost lead one to think that Trump was trying to strip Americans of their citizenship. His critics clearly do not see any distinction between a temporary legal status and a guaranteed right to reside in the U.S. permanently.
While the Supreme Court has ruled against Trump in other immigration disputes, they're getting out of the way this time and letting him do his job.
Rightfully so: the case is so clear-cut than only one liberal justice (a Biden appointee) disagreed with the court.
It's really simple: if Biden can wave in hundreds of thousands of at the stroke of a pen, then Trump can send them back.
The Senate confirmed New Jersey real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of President Trump's son-in-law Charles Kushner, to be ambassador to France.
Kushner was confirmed 51-45, overcoming scrutiny of his past convictions for tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions. President Trump pardoned Kushner in December 2020, citing his charitable work.
Kushner was prosecuted by then-U.S. attorney Chris Christie for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering.
The witness tampering charge stemmed from Kushner's effort to blackmail his brother-in-law by hiring a prostitute to seduce him. Kushner spent two years in federal prison for his crimes.
Kushner expressed remorse for his past to the Senate, saying he had learned from his mistakes.
“I don’t sit here before you today and tell you I’m a perfect person,” Kushner told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing. “I am not a perfect person.”
“I made a very, very, very serious mistake, and I paid a very heavy price for that mistake,” he said. “I think that my past mistakes actually make me better with my judgment, better in my view of life, better in my values to really make me more qualified to do this job.”
New Jersey Democratic senator Cory Booker, a regular Trump critic, voted to confirm Kushner. He was the only Democrat to do so.
Kushner, a New Jersey real estate mogul, supported Booker's political career early on in Newark, backing his first unsuccessful bid to be mayor of the city, as reported by the New Jersey Globe.
Booker defended his vote for Kushner, pointing to Kushner's work on the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform law signed by Trump in his first term.
“I have passionate differences and disagreements with Charlie Kushner, but I supported his confirmation because he has been unrelenting in reforming our criminal justice system and has substantively helped achieve the liberation of thousands of people from unjust incarceration,” Kushner said.
At his confirmation hearing, Kushner acknowledged Booker for his "special and close friendship."
Trump called Kushner, the founder of Kushner Companies, a "tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker" while announcing his nomination for the ambassadorial post.
Kushner's son Jared is the husband of Ivanka Trump, President Trump's daughter. Jared and Ivanka served as top advisers in the first Trump White House but opted not to return for Trump's second term.
Malia Obama has been accused of stealing a scene from an indie filmmaker in her new Nike commercial.
The commercial, which depicts two black girls playing patty cake on some front steps, is "shockingly similar" to a scene in the short film Grace, says director Natalie Jasmine Harris.
Harris told Business Insider that Obama used the same techniques and camera angles to duplicate the scene in Grace.
"It’s not about the game. It’s about the cinematic tools used to depict it,” Harris told Business Insider.
While acknowledging that plagiarism can sometimes be fuzzy, Harris shared a side-by-side comparison to prove her point.
“I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you’ve poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve," she wrote on X.
"If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition."
Been sitting with this for a while. My Sundance short film GRACE (shot brilliantly by Tehillah de Castro) was made with deep love and care. The social cut of the new @Nike commercial directed by Malia Obama (who was also at Sundance my year) feels shockingly similar to my work… pic.twitter.com/iy2N2krpQN
— Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 6, 2025
Obama and Harris met at the Sundance Film Festival last year, where Grace was screened.
According to Harris, Obama's commercial is part of a bigger problem with nepotism in the film industry rewarding derivative or uninspired artists.
“It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn’t breed innovative films or original storytelling,” said Harris.
Malia Obama dropped her famous last name for her film career, going by Malia Ann. The move was teasingly dismissed by her father, former president Barack Obama, who acknowledged that there is no real way for his two daughters to hide who they are.
The former president insisted his daughters are "stubborn" about making their own way in the world.
“I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that,” he said of his last name. “The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all,” Barack said. “I mean they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it.”
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A congressional delegation, Reps. Tony Wied, Derrick Van Orden, Thomas Tiffany, Bryan Steil, Glenn Grothman and Scott Fitzgerald, all of Wisconsin, is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to end a program imposed under the Joe Biden administration that discriminates, unlawfully, against victims based on race and sex.
The case concerns Adam Faust, a dairy farmer from Chilton, Wisconsin.
"Mr. Faust has been subjected to protected class-based discrimination by USDA. Specifically, he is ineligible for certain USDA programs based on his race and sex," the members explained in a letter to Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump's secretary of Agriculture.
The delegation points out that Trump, in fact, "has taken bold and decisive action to eliminate racially discriminatory policies within the executive branch." And the letter said USDA should comply with orders to "eliminate racially discriminatory policies … ."
The problem, the letter explains, is that, "Mr. Faust is ineligible for loan guarantees and grants on equal terms with non-white farmers. Mr. Faust is also charged a fee for the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, while non-white farmers are not. He is one of the 2 million white male American farmers—representing more than 60% of all American farmers—who are still subject to lasting discriminatory policies instituted by the Biden administration."
The letter said, "Mr. Faust's case is particularly worthy of your attention because this is not the first time he has been subjected to USDA's race-based policies. He was the first farmer in America to challenge President Biden and his administration's discriminatory and unconstitutional $4 billion farmer loan forgiveness program. Mr. Faust won a nationwide temporary restraining order (TRO)—the first in the country —halting President Biden's racially selective loan forgiveness initiative."
The delegating is seeking a review of the situation and "prompt reform" of potentially discriminatory programs.
According to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which has worked on the case, The Trump administration "has taken many commendable steps to root out race discrimination in many agencies; however, race-based policies and programs persist. USDA is the worst offender, running over two dozen race-based programs that unconstitutionally discriminate against farmers and ranchers every day."
Dan Lennington, deputy counsel for WILL, said, "While the Trump administration has made progress against government-sponsored discrimination, the USDA remains a glaring holdout, inflicting economic pain on millions of farmers based on their race. This isn't just bad policy, it's a blatant violation of the Constitution. We commend the Wisconsin delegation for their support of Mr. Faust and farmers across Wisconsin."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed an investigation into the Biden administration's use of the autopen, the electronic presidential signature device, as he said, "This government was illegally run for four years."
As Trump appeared at the U.S. Capitol to rally support for his "big, beautiful bill" to lower taxes, Trump discussed at length the problems created by a mentally incapacitated Biden.
"We're gonna start looking into this whole thing with who signed this legislation," Trump began.
"Who signed legislation opening our border? I don't think he knew. I said there's nobody that could want an open border. Nobody. And now I find out that it wasn't him. He autopenned it.
"Who was operating the autopen? This is a very serious thing. We had a president that didn't sign anything and he autopenned almost everything.
"He opened the borders go the United States, and I kept saying who would do such a thing, allowing criminals to pour in from all over the world? Not just South America … they came in from Africa, they came in from Asia, they came from the Congo. The prisons in the Congo in Africa, these are rough, rough people. The prisons from the Congo are empty. You know where they are? They're in this country.
"Who would sign this? Nobody would sign it. No sane person would sign it. You know who signed it? Radical left lunatics that were running our country and the autopen signed it.
"And they didn't want him (Biden), and they were disappointed in getting him because they wanted Bernie Sanders. And then, after about two weeks, they said, 'Wait a minute. This is a gift. He'll do anything. We're gonna use the autopen.'
"And they used the autopen on everything. He didn't approve this stuff, because when Joe Biden was with it, he would never have approved it. You take a look. He would never have approved open borders."
Trump also noted: "Open borders allowed 21 million people in our country, and many of this people are stone-cold murderers."
"The Democrats are destroying our country," he continued, as he was optimistic about his tax cuts being approved.
"This is bigger than any Ronald Reagan tax cut," he explained. "This is the biggest tax cut in the history of our country, or you'll get a 68% tax increase."
"It's the biggest bill ever passed, and we gotta get it done. Tremendous tax cuts for people, tremendous incentives, tremendous regulation cuts … regulations that are so horrible."
He also said there would be no cuts to Medicare or Medicaid.
"We're not touching anything. We don't want any waste fraud and abuse. … Waste, fraud and abuse, that's all we're cutting."
President Donald Trump said that Ukraine and Russia may soon begin negotiations towards a ceasefire after more than three years of active war, Breitbart reported. The president made the announcement Monday following a phone meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that "went very well."
The conflict became a full-blown war under the watch of then-President Joe Biden. Trump made ending the conflict one of his campaign promises, and the media has hammered him about the lack of progress ever since.
Trump credited the promising news to his call with Putin and suggested a peace meeting occur at the Vatican. Trump took to his Truth Social to announce the change and fill in the details.
Trump shared the details of the call in his post. "Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War," he wrote.
"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent," Trump added.
"If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later. Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic 'bloodbath' is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED," Trump explained.
"Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country. Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately," the president added. He explained that he has several world leaders on board, including France's President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, among others.
"The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!" Trump said.
It seems Trump believes in the newly elected Pope Leo XIV to help him get the job done. The American pontiff held his first Mass Sunday with influential leaders in attendance, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to The Catholic Register, the Ukrainian people trust Pope Leo XIV after he promised to take up their cause. "I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people," the leader of the Catholic Church said on May 11.
"Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible. May all the prisoners be freed, and may the children return to their families," Pope Leo XIV added.
This encouraging news comes after Democrats had a meltdown when Trump spoke sharply to Zelensky during an Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28. The Hill reported that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said Zelensky "stood up to Russia’s best negotiators," meaning Trump and Vance. Now, it appears Trump had the upper hand all along.
This ceasefire deal is long overdue, and Trump is doing what everyone on the left told him was impossible with the conflict. It may take some time, but at least it's moving in the right direction for peace in Europe.
Political analyst Nate Silver sees a positive trend in approval ratings for President Donald Trump, Newsweek reported. Silver found that Trump has received a rebound in his numbers after gaining four points since last month.
Silver has a solid reputation for reading the tea leaves in politics. His track record suffered a hiccup when he predicted a close race in 2024 with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he favored.
That prediction was smashed to bits with Trump's runaway victory in both the Electoral College and popular vote. Still, Silver's methods are proven, which makes the good news he's sharing about Trump all the more encouraging.
Trump continues his slow rebound in the Silver Bulletin average. pic.twitter.com/yXfLd1Tanq
— Eli McKown-Dawson (@emckowndawson) May 20, 2025
In Silver's Substack called the Silver Bulletin, the statistician broke down the positive trend. His caveats included how difficult it is to pinpoint Trump's favorability in polls, but noted the upward trend.
In recent polls, Trump is showing a shift back to favorability. "His net approval rating in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll (-8) is up three points from where it was for the last two weeks (-11)," the post's co-author and fellow Silver Bulletin election analyst Eli McKown-Dawson wrote.
"And his approval rating is holding steady in the YouGov/Economist poll (-9 this week vs. -10 last week). The latest RMG Research poll — admittedly a firm with a strong Republican house effect — has Trump above water with a +4 net approval rating (it was tied in their poll last week)," the analysis went on, noting an across-the-board improvement.
"RMG also shows much higher approval for Trump’s handling of tariffs (net -1) than most other polls. As a result of these polls, Donald Trump’s net approval rating is up to -5.8 in the Silver Bulletin average," the post explained.
"That’s the highest it’s been since April 22nd, and up almost 4 points from Trump’s second term approval low-point on April 29th. Now, this could just be noise driven by a dearth of new polls," McKown-Dawson warned, "or it could be a reversal of the downward trend we’ve seen since the start of Trump’s term. We’ll have to wait for more data to find out," McKown-Dawson concluded.
Trump experienced a dip in his approval ratings after taking office, as is expected for most presidents. However, seeing a rebound son soon could indicate good things to come based on the policies he's feverishly implementing.
For instance, the president's approval numbers have remained positive for most of his second term on the immigration issue, but still dipped slightly. After reaching a second-term low of -2.3% on the issue on April 22, 2025, Trump now enjoys a 3.3% approval in polling averages.
Other issues like trade, the economy, and inflation all experienced a steady decline but have recently rebounded for the president. While implementing tariffs temporarily made his approval dip, other moves promise to help lift his numbers even more.
According to Fox News, Trump's recent trip to the Middle East yielded $2 trillion in investments for the U.S. from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. There is also talk of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia that could be forthcoming.
There were so many times when Trump was counted out of the political arena, including his initial approval slippage. However, like he's done for the past 10 years, Trump continues to reemerge triumphant each time he's thought to be finished, and his supporters love him all the more for it.