FBI director Kash Patel is no longer in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as President Trump shakes up the law enforcement agency that enforces gun laws.
Patel had been chosen to lead the ATF in February, but starting now, Patel will focus on his work at the FBI while U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll picks up a second job as ATF director.
The reason for the shakeup was not shared, but the Trump administration downplayed it as a routine change.
“Director Kash Patel was briefly designated ATF Director while awaiting Senate confirmations — a standard, short-term move. Dozens of similar re-designations have occurred across the federal government," the White House told Reuters.
Driscoll, 38, is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and a senior advisor to Vice President J.D. Vance, a former Marine. They became good friends at Yale Law School.
Patel is no longer listed as the ATF director on the agency's website. Dan Driscoll is named as the director, but there's currently no picture or information.
A source told Fox News Digital that the change was sought by Patel so he could focus on his work at the FBI.
"It was never supposed to be a long-term thing. He was happy to serve, of course, but his job is the director of the FBI," the source said.
Meanwhile, the deputy director of the ATF, Marvin Richardson, was forced out this week, Reuters reported.
The ATF is part of the Justice Department, whose leader, attorney general Pam Bondi, has launched a new task force to protect the right to bear arms.
The DOJ and ATF this week repealed President Biden's strict "zero tolerance" policy, which allowed the ATF to strip gun dealers of their licenses over paperwork errors.
“This Department of Justice believes that the 2nd Amendment is not a second-class right,” said Attorney General Bondi. “The prior administration’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy unfairly targeted law-abiding gun owners and created an undue burden on Americans seeking to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms – it ends today.”
Patel was known as an FBI critic prior to his confirmation to lead the agency, which has a history of going after Trump and his supporters.
But Patel has since faced backlash from Trump supporters after promoting one of the FBI's top January 6th investigators to lead the Washington field office.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Tim Walz, Minnesota's far-left governor, was part of the Democrats' losing 2024 presidential nominee team. He was the candidate for vice president alongside Kamala Harris' candidacy for the White House.
They failed, massively. They lost the Electoral College vote in a landslide. They lost the popular vote in a landslide. And they led their party to record-setting low approval ratings continuing even now.
But it's not Walz's extraordinary and extreme allegiance to the transgender ideology, his suspect military career maneuvers, his drunken driving arrest, or his stunningly abrasive ego that is getting attention.
The issue over which Americans, including Democrats, likely are saying "whew" that he was not elected, even to the vice presidency, is his financial profligacy.
A report in The Federalist explains he took a state with a $19 billion surplus and made it a state with a $6 billion deficit.
"It is not hyperbole to say that Minnesota's finances are in free fall. After boasting a record-setting $19 billion surplus in 2022 — larger than the full budgets of 20 U.S. states — the Minnesotans learned earlier this month that it faces a staggering $6 billion budget deficit," the report said.
"How did this happen? In 2023, Walz and his Democrat allies in the legislature embarked on the most reckless spending spree in Minnesota history, funneling billions into pet projects and giveaways for every left-wing constituency imaginable. The surplus wasn't used to shore up Minnesota's long-term financial stability or to return money to taxpayers. Instead, it was squandered in the most reckless fiscal step taken in Minnesota's modern history."
Further, since his "relationship with the truth has always been a distant one," he tried to blame his failings on the new Trump administration, only to be contradicted by state officials who confirmed the federal policy did not affect their budget projections.
The state, which once had one of the strongest economies, now is in the bottom 10.
"Job creation has stagnated, and businesses are increasingly looking elsewhere to expand or move. Meanwhile, Walz has increased tax burdens on individuals and businesses and made Minnesota one of the least competitive states for economic growth," the report confirmed.
The report noted Walz's financial finagling is far from his only failing.
The report noted the "over $250 million" that was "stolen" through fraud in state programs on his watch, the state education system that has "cratered" during his tenure, and more.
"From 2014 to 2023, reading proficiency dropped by 8.2 percentage points, and math proficiency fell by 14.2 percentage points, despite significant increases in education spending. Under Tim Walz, most Minnesota kids can't read or do math at grade level."
And finally, Walz's surge in violent crime.
"Minneapolis saw 79 homicides last year, up nearly 160 percent since 2019 — while far-left prosecutors like Soros-backed Mary Moriarty let criminals walk and attack police," the report said.
Walz admitted recently in an interview that 10% of the time, "I can be a train wreck."
"Tim Walz has been a train wreck and not just 10 percent of the time. And although Americans were given a glimpse of his record in Minnesota in 2024, that record grows more troubling as the consequences of his policies have played out. All of America should know that Minnesota was once the 'State that Worked.' Under Tim Walz, that's as gone, just like its absentee governor."
Since his failed campaign with Harris, he's routinely the butt of online joking.
Chief Justice John Roberts ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump could remove Democratic appointees from two federal agencies, Newsmax reported. The high court will have to decide whether Trump has the power to unilaterally dismiss them.
A lower court had already decided that Trump could not dismiss Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris and National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox. The pair have been fired and reinstated several times over based on court rulings about Trump's ability to make these moves.
This latest stay from Roberts will allow the president's dismissal to stand until the matter has been litigated. However, that fact does not indicate whether the Supreme Court will side with Trump.
🚨 JUST IN: CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS allows Trump to fire these two federal agency heads after a court reinstated them.
Cathy A. Harris of the Merit Systems Protection Board, and Gwynne Wilcox of the National Labor Relations Board. pic.twitter.com/YOOg0cCLIZ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 9, 2025
According to Fox News, Trump dismissed Democrat holdovers Harris and Wilcox, but their jobs were protected under federal law that says they must not be dismissed without cause. On Monday, a 7-4 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reinstated them.
The justices said the precedent set in the Supreme Court's 1935 Humphrey’s Executor and Wiener v. United States decision supported the ruling. As officials serving on "multimember adjudicatory boards," their positions were secure even against the president's wishes.
"The Supreme Court has repeatedly told the courts of appeals to follow extant Supreme Court precedent unless and until that Court itself changes it or overturns it," the justices asserted in their opinion. Trump has been stopped several times on other issues by what he calls "activist judges."
The justices overseeing the separate cases were loathe to give such power to the president to dismiss Harris and Wilcox. The judge in Harris' case, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, warned that to allow the president to "displace independent agency heads from their positions for the length of litigation such as this, those officials’ independence would shatter."
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who oversaw the Wilcox case, similarly warned against granting the president the ability to wield such control. "A President who touts an image of himself as a ‘king’ or a ‘dictator,’ perhaps as his vision of effective leadership, fundamentally misapprehends the role under Article II of the U.S. Constitution," Howell wrote in her opinion.
The lower courts feel that the precedent is airtight. However, acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris of the Justice Department sent a letter to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is a ranking minority member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to rethink this standard.
Harris contended "that certain for-cause removal provisions" are unconstitutional when applied to all agency members, including those represented by the plaintiffs. She stressed that the Department of Justice would "no longer defend their constitutionality."
Harris said the Humphrey's Executor decision "prevents the President from adequately supervising principal officers in the Executive Branch who execute the laws on the President's behalf, and which has already been severely eroded by recent Supreme Court decisions." Durbin disagreed with this assessment, but many conservative legal scholars believe in the power of the executive branch through Myers.
Trump has been going to battle with judges who have attempted to stop his agenda. However, the president's power over personnel decisions shouldn't be challenged even if he's politically at odds with the judges making the decision.
World Series champion pitcher Octavio Dotel perished after the roof caved in at a Dominican Republic nightclub Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. The freak tragedy took the lives of at least 200 people, including the 51-year-old ex-Major League Baseball player.
Dotel's career spanned more than 15 years and brought him many accolades. This week, the news from the Dominican Republic has instead brought condolences.
Tony Clark, MLB Association executive director, said in a statement that the players' union was with the Dominican community "amid incomprehensible sadness." Clark also extended condolences for other victims, including Tony Blanco, who played for the Washington Nationals, and former MLB player Nelson Cruz, whose sister Nelsy was also at the nightclub that evening, ABC News reported.
"We grieve for all the victims and send a special message of support to the families of Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, who leave an unspeakable void with their passing, and to Nelson Cruz, whose family lost a shining light with the death of his sister, Nelsy," Clark added. The MLB community mourned its losses as the death toll continued to rise.
During his storied career, Dotel passed through many MLB franchises and helped propel them to victory along the way. In a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, the MLB summed up the highlights of his time in the league.
"We are shocked and saddened by the sudden and tragic death of former Major League pitcher Octavio Dotel. Dotel appeared in 758 games for 13 teams over his 15-year career, including parts of five seasons with the Houston Astros from 2000-2004," the post noted.
"On June 11, 2003, he was one of six Astros pitchers who combined to throw a no-hitter against the Yankees in New York. Dotel helped the St. Louis Cardinals to the 2011 World Series championship, going 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 12 appearances in the Postseason run," it went on.
"He saved 109 games, with a career-high 36 in 2004. Dotel’s 13 teams are tied with Rich Hill for the 2nd-most in MLB history, trailing only Edwin Jackson’s 14. Dotel was 51 years old," MLB concluded.
We are shocked and saddened by the sudden and tragic death of former Major League pitcher Octavio Dotel.
Dotel appeared in 758 games for 13 teams over his 15-year career, including parts of five seasons with the Houston Astros from 2000-2004. On June 11, 2003, he was one of six… pic.twitter.com/4wxawmZv5Y
— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2025
The tragedy is marked by unspeakable carnage and loss of life among patrons at the Jet Set nightclub located in the capital city of Santo Domingo. Just after 12:34 a.m., the roof unexpectedly caved in and revelers became trapped after concrete rained down on them.
The collapse only took seconds but killed hundreds and injured another 155 people. There's no word on what the cause was though a 2023 fire damaged part of the building. Crews continue to work to free trapped individuals and recover bodies.
Authorities are using biometric systems to identify the dead as the nation grapples with this tragedy. "We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub," a social media post from Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader said.
"We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred. All relief agencies have provided the necessary assistance and are working tirelessly in the rescue efforts. Our prayers are with the affected families," Abinader added.
These people were out to have a nice time at a nightclub when the unthinkable happened. Whether it was the MLB players, musicians, or guests, every life lost in this way is unfathomably tragic.
The Trump administration has pushed a California judge to recuse herself from a suit concerning immigration and someone she was formerly affiliated with.
Aracelia Martinez-Olguin previously served as the managing attorney for the plaintiff, Community Legal Services, according to a report by The Washington Free Beacon.
Olguin, who is now a federal judge in San Francisco, ruled that the Trump administration should restore funding to the tune of $769 million for a federal program that provided legal services for illegal immigrants.
The Biden administration appointee was previously the lead attorney for the case plaintiffs.
The administration asserts that her past work for the plaintiff in the case is a "concerning conflicts of interest that has created a serious appearance of impropriety."
In addition to her actual affiliation with the group with which she ruled, Olguin also has a history of harsh opinions for President Donald Trump over his immigration policies.
The judge previously worked as an attorney for the nonprofit law firm in question, and as part of her day-to-day responsibilities, she represented many of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
the Department of Justice cited those facts when calling on Olguin to recuse herself from the case that it would appear she has a strong vested interest in, and dissolve her ruling demanding that the Trump admin fund her former employers.
"A reasonable person would likely question Judge Martínez-Olguín’s impartiality, and accordingly, recusal is required," wrote Department of Justice attorneys.
Olguin co-founded the Immigrants' Rights Project at CLSEPA in 2017 and worked there until 2018. During that time, she "identified issues for local or state policy advocacy and impact litigation."
While at CLSEPA, Martinez-Olguin advocated for a taxpayer-funded program to offer legal assistance to undocumented immigrants with San Mateo County officials.
CLSEPA is one of 11 subcontractors who brought suit against the Trump administration, asking that funding be restored for the legal services that CLSEPA and others offer to minors found at the broader without guardians.
Before she was confirmed in 2023, Olguin also worked for the National Immigration Law Center, representing plaintiffs in similar cases.
In it's court filings, CLSEPA said federal money "is one of our primary sources of funding for our immigration work," and makes up 15 % of the organization’s immigration cases budget.
Should the government funding be upheld, "CLSEPA will need to find another source of funding to continue representing our clients," CLSEPA attorney Martha Ruch said in last month's court filing.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
There's a new path for those who want to be ignored by the White House press office to reach their goal: Tell press secretary Karoline Leavitt what pronouns you demand she uses.
That's according to a report from Fox News, which explained the Trump White House press office won' respond to emailed questions "from reporters who display their pronouns in their email signatures."
Those questioners, in fact, deny "biological reality" and cannot be trusted to write "honest stories," the report said.
It was Michael Grynbaum, of the leftist New York Times, who complained the press office three times has rejected emails from reporters who promote their gender-identifying labels.
President Donald Trump has, in an executive order, declared that the U.S. government recognizes two genders, male and female. And he's also said there's no room in the U.S. military for individuals who suffer from the affliction of gender dysphoria because of the unreliability they would exhibit in deployments, and the extraordinary expenses for treatment they would want.
The report explained, "Grynbaum also reached out to Leavitt for comment, inquiring whether this type of response was a press office policy. The press secretary replied via email, 'Any reporter who chooses to put their preferred pronouns in their bio clearly does not care about biological reality or truth and therefore cannot be trusted to write an honest story.'"
And Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said,"If The New York Times spent the same amount of time actually reporting the truth as they do being obsessed with pronouns, maybe they would be a half-decent publication."
Fox explained the Trump administration also has moved to protect women and girls in sports events, barring men who say they are women from those competitions. It also has removed gender identity language throughout the federal government.
Former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced on Wednesday that he will not pursue a U.S. Senate seat in 2026, attributing his decision to personal and family considerations, WMUR reported.
Sununu, who served eight years as governor, emphasized the lengthy commitment a Senate role requires, leading him to conclude it's not the right choice for his family at this time.
Sununu has a record of bypassing opportunities to serve in federal roles. In 2021, he opted out of running for Senate against incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan and chose instead to seek a fourth term as governor. More recently, in 2023, he considered launching a presidential campaign but ultimately chose to back Nikki Haley.
In an interview with WMUR, Sununu remarked that committing to a Senate position would essentially mean dedicating the next 12 years of his life. He highlighted that after a demanding stint as governor, such a long-term commitment wasn't feasible for him and his family.
Support from New Hampshire residents, various political figures, and former President Donald Trump prompted him to contemplate the Senate run, but the personal implications outweighed the political opportunity.
Despite being a potential Republican contender after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced her plan not to seek reelection, Sununu's focus has shifted away from entering the race.
Other candidates have emerged for the 2026 election, including Rep. Chris Pappas, who has formally declared his candidacy, and Rep. Maggie Goodlander, who has shown interest. Former U.S. Senator Scott Brown has also expressed a possible run in the upcoming race.
Sununu explained that while he believes the Senate seat is winnable for Republicans, his absence does not hinder opportunities for other bipartisan voices to emerge. He pointed out that New Hampshire's political landscape is diverse, describing it as a "purple state" that can benefit from leaders who bridge party lines. Recognizing the significance of representation, Sununu urged that a moderate approach could resonate positively with voters.
Throughout his political career, Sununu expressed reservations about engaging in Washington politics. The dynamic environment and legislative pace did not appeal to his approach to governance. He previously stated that the daily routine in Washington was not a fit for his style, and his preference for practical action may contrast with the Senate's slower procedures.
Looking ahead, Sununu remains non-committal about his political trajectory. Although he is not planning any major political moves over the next decade, his past indicates that unexpected opportunities or changes in the political climate might influence future decisions. At 50, he remains open to possibilities that could arise, suggesting that his public service may still evolve.
Sununu's political origins are notable, stemming from a family known for its engagement in government. His brother, John E. Sununu, once served as a U.S. Senator, establishing a legacy that informed the former governor's understanding of federal service demands.
Sununu's choice reflects a careful assessment of what aligns with his personal values and family priorities. As he closes the chapter on elected office for now, he signals a continued interest in contributing to public discourse on national issues.
By stepping back from the Senate race, Sununu emphasizes the need for a bipartisan approach to representation. In doing so, he leaves room for other voices to shape New Hampshire's political future in 2026.
From mass deportations to mass layoffs, President Trump is fighting to defend a series of sweeping actions in the federal court system. After a string of setbacks from "activist" judges, Trump started to catch a break this week from the highest court in the land.
In a reversal, the Supreme Court blocked a lower court order forcing Trump to hire back 16,000 probationary federal workers.
Two of the liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, would have kept the reinstatement order in place.
The court's brief, unsigned opinion noted that the plaintiffs, a coalition of public sector unions and non-profit organizations, do not have standing to bring the case. The federal workers themselves are not part of the lawsuit.
“The [California] District Court’s injunction was based solely on the allegations of the nine non-profit-organization plaintiffs in this case. But under established law, those allegations are presently insufficient to support the organizations’ standing,” the unsigned order read.
“This order does not address the claims of the other plaintiffs, which did not form the basis of the District Court’s preliminary injunction.”
The Supreme Court's ruling offers Trump a reprieve from the flood of court injunctions that has jammed up much of his agenda. The administration has repeatedly complained about overreach from federal judges who are stepping on the president's executive authority.
Trump's purge of the federal workforce has sparked an outcry among Democrats and public sector unions, which comprise a strongly Democratic constituency. An appointee of President Clinton, Judge William Alsup, called Trump's firings a "sham" and ordered Trump to hire back employees at a number of federal agencies.
“There is no doubt that thousands of public service employees were unlawfully fired in an effort to cripple federal agencies and their crucial programs that serve millions of Americans every day,” the plaintiffs said in a statement responding to the Supreme Court's decision.
A day after the Supreme Court's intervention, a Virginia appeals court sided with Trump in a separate challenge to his firings.
A divided panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled James Bredar, an Obama appointee. The appeals court found the Democratic attorneys general who brought the case did not have standing.
Trump also scored significant wins on immigration this week, with the Supreme Court approving his use of the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport suspected gang members.
Michelle Obama's new podcast isn't performing very well, in a sign that her star power could be fading.
Weeks after she launched the new project, the podcast ranks 34th on Spotify and 19th on Apple, according to reports. It's a shocking reversal that suggests the Obama brand is not what it used to be.
At the apex of her cultural influence, Michelle Obama sold a best-selling memoir and was even seen as a potential presidential candidate, although she has sworn off such ambitions.
The Obama family's future has been clouded by the Democratic party's clobbering at the hands of President Trump, who won a historic non-consecutive second term in November. Trump's decision to go on various podcasts popular with young people, particularly Joe Rogan's top-rated show, has been credited as a factor in his success.
Meanwhile, the Obamas' cultural legacy appears more uncertain than ever, as Democrats wander the political wilderness, and the Obamas continue to chronicle their post-presidential lives in vapid social media posts.
While the podcast market is saturated with content creators, someone as famous as Michelle Obama should have no problem getting listeners. Still, the Spotify charts rank Obama's podcast, IMO, well below the top podcasters like Joe Rogan, Amy Poehler, Theo Von, and Tucker Carlson.
Michelle Obama's Spotify podcast debuted with 335,000 views, but public interest subsequently dipped, Mediaite reported. Her most recent YouTube upload of the show has less than 100,000 views.
Meanwhile, the Obamas have been dogged by divorce rumors after Michelle missed Jimmy Carter's funeral and Trump's second inauguration.
After weeks of dodging the issue, Obama addressed the speculation in a podcast interview Wednesday with actress Sophia Bush. Obama, an outspoken feminist, blasted the rampant speculation of divorce as sexist.
"When I say no, for the most part people are like, I get it. And that's the thing we as women struggle with, is disappointing people. So much so that this year, people couldn't fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume my husband and I were divorcing," she said.
The comments came just days after her husband, hitting the college speaking circuit, admitted that his marriage needed some work after his eight years in the White House.
"So I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things," the former president added.
Elon Musk's brother has called on President Trump to fire Peter Navarro, one of Trump's strongest backers on tariffs, as a rift widens between Musk and the White House over trade policy.
Musk has called Navarro, a famously pro-tariff economist, "a moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks," while Navarro has attacked Musk as a "car assembler" who is just following his self-interest.
Navarro is a longtime Trump loyalist who served as a trade adviser during Trump's first term. Navarro's refusal to appear before the January 6th committee landed him in prison for four months.
Musk has grown to become one of Trump's closest and most powerful advisers since his return to the White House, with the two leading a sweeping effort to trim waste in the federal government. But some stark differences have become clear since Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs sent shockwaves through global markets.
The stock market surged Wednesday after Trump said he would pause tariffs on most countries for 90 days, except China, which will face tariff rates of 125%.
Meanwhile, a rift over trade policy opened up over the weekend as Musk dismissed Navarro's Harvard education as a "bad thing, not a good thing." Navarro, in turn, accused Musk of "protecting his own interests."
In a CNBC interview Monday, Navarro went further, calling Musk a "car assembler" whose company, Tesla, relies on foreign inputs.
Musk called Navarro a "moron" and said that Tesla is one of the most "American-made" car companies, citing a Cars.com study that included Canada.
"Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false," Musk posted on X.
While Musk has yet to criticize Trump directly, his younger brother Kimball has gone a step further by urging President Trump to fire Navarro. Both Musk brothers have mocked Navarro by referencing Ron Vara, a fictional expert from one of Navarro's books.
"Mr President, if Peter Navarro has lied to you about Ron Vara, what else has he lied to you about?" Kimball wrote on X, urging Trump to "put America first and fire him."
But the president wants to "hear from all sides" on this contentious issue, the White House said Tuesday.
“These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
“Boys will be boys and we will let their public sparring continue. You guys should all be very grateful that we have the most transparent administration in history.”