Republican Senator Chuck Grassley (IA) said that he hopes the Supreme Court will rule against universal injunctions as it hears cases involving President Donald Trump, arguing that a president should not have to "ask permission" from judges to govern.
"Just this past week, a D.C. district judge issued a universal injunction blocking the president’s executive order requiring voter ID or proof-of-citizenship prior to voting in national elections."
"Judges are not policymakers," Grassley said. "Allowing them to assume this role is very dangerous."
Grassley noted that the Supreme Court will be directly addressing universal injunctions on May 15 during a hearing on a case involving Trump's order reversing birthright citizenship.
The high court "could and should take action," he said. "In the meantime, I'm continuing to work with my colleagues to advance my critical Judicial Relief Clarification Act (JRCA) and put an end to universal injunctions."
Trump has been stymied at every turn by these injunctions, which judges at the state and local levels have used far more often to block his offers than they have with other presidents.
"The President of the United States shouldn’t have to ask permission from more than 600 different district judges to manage the executive branch he was elected to lead," Grassley declared in March after his colleague Dick Durbin (D-IL) tried to pass a resolution requiring Trump to comply with all federal rulings.
"I happen to agree with some Democrats that in previous years have said some judges have gone way beyond what a judge should do on national injunctions. I hope to find a solution for that, and I hope that you and I could work on that together," he added.
The injunction, of course, failed. It's easy to see that many of these rulings are unfair and making them universal goes far beyond the power the Constitution intended to give judges.
Desperate Democrats are out of power and are using the only branch they have any significant power in--the judicial branch--to thwart Trump's agenda any way they can.
Trump needs a way to shut these judges down, or his agenda won't be able to get very far.
The Supreme Court could give him that ability, but it's far from certain what they will do.
There are at least eight major cases involving Trump happening in the near future, so he will have plenty of chances to get a favorable ruling.
We'll see if the will of the voter can prevail or whether Democrats can once again usurp it.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
'President shouldn't have to ask permission from more than 600 different district judges to manage the executive branch'
U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the most senior member of the upper chamber, is warning district court judges that their reign of issuing nationwide injunctions to block the agenda of President Donald Trump will be ending.
"Universal injunctions are an unconstitutional abuse of judicial power," said the senator who is chief of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
District judges, those handling the entry level of the federal court system, have issued dozens of injunctions preventing Trump from exercising he role as the manager of the nation's Executive branch since he took office.
They did the same thing during his first term, but during his second term have ramped up their attacks.
That issue is pending right now before the Supreme Court, whose members already have expressed concern about the wanton issuance of such orders, by a district judge, that purports to control Executive branch policy nationwide, and even worldwide.
A report at Fox News said Grassley cited a decision just last week.
"A D.C. district judge issued a universal injunction blocking the president's executive order requiring voter ID or proof-of-citizenship prior to voting in national elections," Grassley said. But that ignores the idea that "judges are not policymakers."
He continued, "Allowing them to assume this role is very dangerous."
He added, "The president of the United States shouldn't have to ask permission from more than 600 different district judges to manage the executive branch he was elected to lead. I happen to agree with some Democrats that in previous years have said some judges have gone way beyond what a judge should do on national injunctions."
The Supreme Court has awaiting its decision a charge that nationwide injunctions on Trump's order regarding birthright citizenship were wrong.
He said while the Supreme Court should issue a ruling on those injunctions, he and others in Congress already are working on legislation that would "end" universal injunctions that have been used by so many leftist judges against the president.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
'This is INSANELY easy to prove. DOJ just needs to make a move'
Elon Musk, President Donald Trump's leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, has made a startling discovery, saying there are more than 100,000 active federal employees illegally receiving unemployment benefits.
The DOGE chief revealed the stunning figure Saturday to Lara Trump, host of "My View" on Fox News.
"We've actually found there's a lot of people who are federal government employees, that are active employees, who nonetheless have applied for and received unemployment insurance," Musk explained.
"While they are federal employees," an incredulous Trump responded.
"Yes, and this appears to be at least 100,000 people," Musk continued.
"Wow!" Trump said.
Online journalist Nick Sortor reacted with outrage: "That's called FRAUD. WE NEED ARRESTS!"
"This is INSANELY easy to prove. DOJ just needs to make a move," he added. "These arrests are layups."
"I'm really, really hoping I'm proven wrong but I'm starting to lose hope that this DOJ is ever going to make any significant arrests for corruption, voter fraud, etc."
Matt Van Swol, a former nuclear scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy, noted: "They actually received unemployment benefits from the government while also working???
"That is the definition of fraudulent payments. Needs to be investigated … but where the hell is Pam Bondi?!"
Last month, as WorldNetDaily reported, Musk revealed more unemployment fraud discovered by DOGE, including thousands of recipients over 115 years old, between one and five years old, and with birth dates more than 15 years in the future.
"Your tax dollars were going to pay fraudulent unemployment claims for fake people born in the future! This is so crazy that I had to read it several times before it sank in," Musk said at the time.
"This is another incredible discovery by the DOGE team, finding nearly $400 million in fraudulent unemployment payments," Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer told Fox News Digital regarding the April disclosure.
"The Labor Department is committed to recovering Americans' stolen tax dollars. We will catch these thieves and keep working to root out egregious fraud – accountability is here."
In a significant political shift, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has announced that he has changed his political affiliation, parting from the Democratic Party to embrace the Republican Party, Breitbart noted.
Villanueva, who had been aligned with the Democratic Party for more than four decades, cited a change in his personal values, focusing on principles of faith, family, and freedom, as reasons for this move.
Villanueva, who served as the sheriff of Los Angeles County, was originally elected in 2018 on a Democratic ticket. At the time, his campaign highlighted reform-focused policies that resonated with the Democratic base. However, during his tenure, he gradually adopted more conservative viewpoints that began to diverge from those of his original party.
The former sheriff's departure from his long-held political alignment has been attributed to a variety of factors. Over time, Villanueva became more vocal in his opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement and began advocating for stricter law enforcement in response to growing crime rates. His views on public safety and order started to resonate more closely with conservatively inclined policies.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Villanueva frequently clashed with local authorities over health mandates instituted to curb the spread of the virus. He refused to implement such mandates as beach closures and mask requirements, arguing they lacked scientific support and contradicted guidelines set forth by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the 2022 elections, Villanueva sought re-election but ultimately lost to Robert Luna. This electoral defeat followed a platform that many perceived as increasingly conservative, further highlighting his shift from traditional Democratic viewpoints.
Villanueva’s switch to the Republican Party has sparked reactions from fellow politicians and party officials. Upon announcing his decision, Villanueva shared his reasons with his followers, stating, “As of today, I’m leaving the party of paid protests, purple hair, and pronouns, and joining the party of faith, family, and freedom.”
The California Republican Party welcomed him with open arms, indicating through a message on the social media platform X that Calderon's views aligned with many within the party. In response to his announcement, their account expressed enthusiasm, saying, "Chairwoman @corrinrankin and the entire @CAGOP welcome you to the Republican Party, @AlexVilanueva33!"
California State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil also extended her welcome, sharing her own experience of shifting political alliances. She conveyed her support by stating, "Welcome to the right side! Who will be next? I left the Democratic party because they have lost touch with the everyday American."
The decision by Villanueva to join the Republican Party appears to indicate a broader trend among some voters in California who feel disenchanted with the state's predominant Democratic leadership. Members of the conservative community view Villanueva’s move as evidence of a growing dissatisfaction with Democratic policies.
Additionally, the switch comes amid broader conversations about the political landscape in California, where the Democrats have maintained strong influence in state politics. Those welcoming Villanueva have also framed the decision as a transition towards a party that more robustly represents the values of working-class citizens.
In Villanueva's view, his new affiliation offers a clearer path for him to support policies consistent with his newfound priorities. This decision echoes a complex relationship between electoral politics and personal convictions that continues to define local and national discussions.
It is not uncommon for public officials to re-evaluate their political affiliations as their careers evolve. Villanueva's decision reflects a broader quest for alignment with personal values currently emphasized by the Republican Party, which encompasses a focus on family-centric and faith-based policies.
As political landscapes shift, leaders like Villanueva highlight the fluid nature of party affiliations. This realignment with the Republican Party marks a strategic and value-laden choice for the former sheriff as he seeks to engage with constituents and fellow policymakers in new ways.
In reflecting on his political journey, Villanueva remains resolute in his commitment to principles that he perceives best align with his vision for both personal and community growth. His story punctuates an ongoing dialogue within American politics, where the dynamic between party platforms and personal beliefs remains ever-evolving.
President Trump said four years is "plenty of time" to fulfill his promise to America, as he gave his clearest indication yet that he will not run for a third term.
Trump has repeatedly suggested he may seek re-election in 2028, but he now says he plans to pass the torch when his term is up.
"We have a lot of good people in this party," Trump told NBC's Meet The Press.
Trump acknowledged that there could be legal obstacles to running again, as he dismissed 2028 chatter from some of his allies as a "compliment." The 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms.
“I will say this. So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that. But it’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do,” Trump told Kristen Welker.
Trump had previously told Welker he was "not joking" about seeking another term, and speculation increased after the Trump Organization began selling "Trump 2028" MAGA hats.
"But this is not something I'm looking to do," Trump told Welker.
"I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally, a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward, but I think we’ll have four years, and I think four years is plenty of time to do something really spectacular.”
While making it clear that he is thinking about his legacy in generational terms, Trump was reluctant to single out an heir apparent, although he lavished praise on Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio - both former critics of Trump's who are now among his closest allies.
"It’s far too early to say that, but I do have a vice president and typically and, JD is doing a fantastic job," Trump said.
"I don’t want to get involved in that, I think he’s a fantastic, brilliant guy. Marco is great. There are a lot of them that are great.”
While many find it hard to imagine MAGA without the Donald, Trump said he is confident that his historic movement will live on without his leadership.
"I think it’s so strong. And I think we have tremendous people. I think we have a tremendous group of people. We talked about a number of them. You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who’s fantastic. You look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here. No, I think we have a tremendous party."
Charley Scalies, a TV actor noted for his role in HBO's The Sopranos and The Wire, has died. He was 84.
The Philadelphia native died "peacefully" after a long battle with Alzheimer's, an online obituary confirmed.
Scalies is mostly known for playing Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa, a corrupt Baltimore dock worker and union leader, on Season Two of The Wire.
The actor also appeared in season five of The Sopranos as Coach Molinaro, who appears to mafia boss Tony Soprano in a dream to reprimand him over his life of crime.
Both HBO series are highly regarded among TV critics and consistently rank among the greatest shows in the history of the medium.
The Wire writer Rafael Alvarez wrote in a tribute, “I became instant friends with your Dad when I sat down next to him at lunch on the first day of shooting Season Two of The Wire. In time he became a member of my family. Miss you, Horse.”
The youngest of three children, Scalies gave some of his first performances in his father's pool hall in South Philadelphia, where he entertained patrons with jokes and impressions.
Before his rise to fame, Scalies was Director of Sales and Contracts at Clifton Precision, a company known for precision manufacturing. He also started his own consulting firm before returning to acting in the 1990s, taking on roles in community and dinner theater including Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls, Billy Flynn in Chicago and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz for the St. Francis Players in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
His silver screen debut was in the Al Pacino film Two Bits (1995).
His other TV credits include Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Cold Case. As far as film goes, he appeared in 12 Monkeys (1995), Liberty Heights (1999), and Jersey Girl (2004).
Despite his notoriety on TV, Scalies remained humble and a family man at heart.
"[He was] best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend,” the obituary read.
“Professionally, Charley Scalies was an American actor and former business executive whose life reflected a rich blend of professional achievement, creative passion, and a true joy for life. His favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table.”
Scalies is survived by his wife Angeline M. Scalies, his five children, and four grandchildren.
President Trump gave his strongest indication yet that he will not seek a third term, as he named two possible frontrunners to continue the legacy of his MAGA movement.
Trump gave nods to Vice president J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview with NBC's Meet The Press.
“It’s far too early to say that. But you know, I do have a vice president … and JD’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said.
“I don’t want to get involved in that. I think he’s a fantastic, brilliant guy. Marco is great. There’s a lot of them that are great,” he added. “We have a lot of good people in this party.”
Rubio and Vance have followed starkly different career paths to their current positions at the top of the second Trump administration.
Rubio is a career Republican who fought Trump in the 2016 presidential cycle, when Trump labeled him "Little Marco," while Vance had never held public office when Trump launched him into the U.S. Senate a few years ago. Like Rubio, Vance had also criticized Trump's original 2016 run before embracing him.
Reflecting on the growth of his historic movement, Trump predicted that MAGA will continue without him at the helm, pointing to a large number of "tremendous" individuals who could take over.
Trump said Vance would likely have an "advantage" if he runs for the presidency, but Trump predicted that his VP would face some tough challenges as well.
"I think we have tremendous people. I think we have a tremendous group of people," Trump said. "You look at Marco, you look at J.D. Vance, who's fantastic. I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now, just sitting here."
Trump had previously told Welker in March that he was "not joking" about seeking another term. The president's repeated comments to that effect rattled his critics, who accused him of seeking to defy the Constitution's two-term limit.
But Trump is clearly beginning to think about his legacy in generational terms. In his latest interview with Welker, he said four years is enough time to achieve his goals, and he will leave the rest to his successor, "ideally a great Republican."
“I’ll be an eight-year president. I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important,” he added.
“This is not something I’m looking to do. I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican," he said.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) said Friday that an active volcano on Mount Spurr could soon erupt after 73 earthquakes struck the area over the previous week.
An imminent eruption could cause the evacuation of 300,000 residents in Anchorage 80 miles away who could be in danger from its effects, AVO said. Those who don't evacuate may have to wear N95 masks and stockpile food and water to avoid contamination.
In addition, flights over the area could be halted because of visibility concerns from the volcanic ash cloud that would result from an eruption.
Besides the 73 recorded earthquakes, "much smaller quakes are occurring several times per hour," the observatory said.
Steam has been seen rising from the volcano along with increased gas emissions.
Magma rising toward the surface is also causing pressure and fractures in the rock that surrounds it.
The level of unrest at the volcano is somewhat lower than a few months ago, but remains elevated.
"Unrest continues at Mount Spurr, though at a lower level than observed in early 2025," AVO said.
'While the likelihood of an eruption has decreased since March, the volcano remains at an elevated level of unrest.'
The last two eruptions of the volcano were in 1953 and 19920--relatively recent for volcanoes.
During those eruptions, explosive bursts lasting several hours spewed volcanic ash across southcentral Alaska. Fortunately, there are no communities close enough to be affected by volcanic debris and mudslides that could also occur in the area.
After the last eruption, the Anchorage Airport had to shut down for 20 hours, and it looked dark as night in the area during that time from the ash.
The disruption of the 8,000 cargo planes that fly over the area each month could impact the global supply chain, according to the Daily Mail.
Experts have said the next eruption could be within "weeks to months," but there is no exact time frame at this point.
While the number of illegal immigrants deported by President Donald Trump since taking office in January appears to be lagging a bit behind former President Joe Biden's number of deportees in 2024, a new analysis by Just the News shows that this is not, in fact, the case.
It turns out the Biden administration counted "turnarounds"--those turned back at the border who never entered the U.S.--as removals or deportations.
These turnarounds accounted for 80% of the Biden administration's so-called removals/deportations that year.
This means that Trump's estimated 660 removals per day of illegal immigrants who were living in the U.S. interior is far beyond Biden's (less than 20% of an estimated 770 a day, or about 130 a day).
That's about five times faster that Trump is deporting migrants than Biden was, despite media attempts to portray the opposite.
This should not be surprising given that Biden was always reluctant to restrict illegal immigration in any way and did everything he could to encourage and allow it.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons talked up the administration's efforts on Tuesday in a press release.
“We’re just 100 days into this administration and thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is using every tool at its disposal to enforce our country’s immigration laws and protect our communities,” Lyons said.
The numbers given above are for ICE only; across all agencies, Homeland Security reported that 158,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested and more than 142,000 have been deported.
“Deportations have already exceeded 142,000—this is just the beginning. President Trump and Secretary Noem have jump-started an agency that was vilified and barred from doing its job for the last four years,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Just the News.
"In the face of a historic number of injunctions from activist judges, ICE, CBP, and the U.S. Coast Guard have made historic progress to carryout [sic] President Trump’s promise of arresting and deporting aliens who have invaded our country,” she continued.
An added benefit of the crackdown is that most migrants won't even try to cross the border when they know they are likely to be caught and deported.
“Additionally, illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now or face the consequences. Thousands are using the CBP Home App to self-deport. Migrants are now even turning back before they reach our borders—migration through Panama’s Darien Gap is down 99.99%,” she explained.
Border Czar Tom Homan said that more funding is needed to make even a dent in the millions of migrants Biden let into the country, but that they are doing "great" with what they have so far.
President Donald Trump has permanently ended the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s experimentation on beagles, closing the agency's last experimentation lab over the weekend.
NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya announced the closure during an interview with Fox News's Rachel Campos-Duffy, which you can watch here:
Watch @NIHDirector_Jay on @FoxNews with @RCamposDuffy where he discusses a new NIH initiative to expand innovative, human-based science while reducing animal use in research, including getting rid of all the beagle experiments on the NIH campus. pic.twitter.com/qfL5oepOBX
— NIH (@NIH) May 4, 2025
Bhattacharya said the move was part of a broader policy change that replaced animal experimentation with AI and other technologies that better mimic human health.
“It’s very easy, for instance, to cure Alzheimer’s in mice. But those things don’t translate to humans,” Bhattacharya said.
Bhattacharya acknowledged that people have had a hard time trusting the NIH since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the organization pushed school lockdowns and vaccines way too hard.
He didn't say it, but the Chinese facility where the virus most likely came from got funding from the NIH, which may be another reason why Americans are mistrustful of the NIH.
The NIH confirmed the policy change on social media, saying it has begun an “initiative to expand innovative, human-based science while reducing animal use in research, including getting rid of all the beagle experiments on the NIH campus.”
The watchdog group White Coat Waste said that the NIH has killed 2,100 beagles since 1986 in septic shock experiments.
“The NIH pumps pneumonia-causing bacteria into beagles’ lungs, bleeds them out, and forces dogs into septic shock,” the group's report stated. “After four days of infection, NIH kills the beagles—and stuffs their bodies into a refrigerator.”
“We applaud the President for cutting this wasteful NIH spending and will keep fighting until we defund all dog labs at home and abroad," the group said.
Other experiments on beagles that involved infesting puppies with ticks at Kansas City University became a big scandal in 2021 and turned public opinion against then-director Anthony Fauci.
DOGE has been looking for wasteful spending, and these experiments certainly don't need to be publicly funded.
If scientists want to kill beagles after torturing them, let them find someone in the private sector to fund it, if they can.