Michelle Obama said that the thought of her running for president is "unthinkable," The Hill reported. The former first lady's name has been bandied about by Democrats desperate to counter President Donald Trump.
Obama appeared last week on the Not Gonna Lie podcast hosted by Kylie Kelce, wife of retired NFL player Jason Kelce. She directly addressed the issue of whether she would consider a presidential run. "When people ask me, would I ever run? The answer is no," Obama told Kelce.
"If you ask me that, then you have absolutely no idea the sacrifice that your kids make when your parents are in that role. It would be unthinkable," Obama later concluded.
Democrats have been clamoring for a popular figure to coalesce behind, and the best they could come up with was former President Barack Obama's wife. During the 2024 election, polling showed Michelle Obama was the only figure strong enough to beat Trump.
This came after then-President Joe Biden was on the verge of stepping down from his reelection bid, leaving the inept Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place. While rumors abounded about her possibly stepping into the role, Michelle Obama never did.
She is qualified based on how staunchly anti-Trump she is, so much so that she railed against him in a speech at the Democratic National Convention. "For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us," Michelle Obama claimed.
"See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black," she added at the August event. Michelle Obama later declined to attend the inauguration in November.
While the former first lady's name continues to come up for Democrats' political hopes, Michelle Obama made it clear that she will not be swayed based on her concern for her daughters, Sasha and Malia.
Democrats who pushed for Michelle Obama to join the presidential race seem to forget how polarizing she was right out of the gate. First ladies are often more popular than their husbands and rarely ruffle feathers.
Michelle Obama certainly bucked that trend. In the runup to her husband's 2008 election, she insinuated that she wasn't proud of America until Democrats began supporting her husband's presidential bid.
“For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country … not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment," Michelle Obama said, according to a February 2008 Fox News report.
Although they tried to back peddle, the damage was done to the Obamas' image with that comment. Barack Obama still got elected, but ever since, it has been a tough road with Republicans and certainly would preclude Michelle Obama from becoming a presidential candidate.
Michelle Obama is not wrong that it should be a tremendous disruption for their kids, although they are both grown now. Still, it wouldn't be a shock if she changed her mind just in time to run in 2028.
A recent court ruling has halted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing personal data from three federal agencies due to potential legal breaches linked to the Trump administration, Fox Business reported.
A federal judge issued a ruling that temporarily blocks the DOGE's access to certain personal data, spotlighting ongoing judicial challenges to recent executive actions initiated by President Donald Trump.
In the detailed judgment delivered on Monday by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, an injunction was placed on the DOGE restricting it from accessing identifiable personal information held by the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Treasury Department.
This decision stemmed from a lawsuit brought forth by various unions and organizations representing federal employees, recipients of student aid, and six veterans who had served in the military.
The controversy traces back to the executive order signed by President Trump at the dawn of his second term. This directive sought to facilitate the DOGE's agenda by granting access to agency records and IT systems. This sweeping access was meant as a step towards improving government performance but faced allegations of contravening the Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
The Privacy Act created half a century ago, aims to shield individuals from the unauthorized distribution of personal data furnished to the government. Judge Boardman conveyed the inherent risks posed by such unauthorized data use, noting Congress's earlier concerns about personal data being collected and potentially misused by governmental entities.
The recent ruling lies within a broader context of numerous legal confrontations against President Trump's actions since January 20. In merely two months, over 120 lawsuits have been presented in reaction to more than 90 executive orders, proclamations, and memos issued under his administration. This specific case emphasizes the potential risks associated with expedited policy enforcement without stringent adherence to legislative frameworks.
In her ruling, Judge Boardman emphasized that the President's urgency did not empower agencies to bypass legal procedures. She articulated the court's perspective: "No matter how important or urgent the President’s DOGE agenda may be, federal agencies must execute it in accordance with the law. That likely did not happen in this case."
Judge Boardman reiterated that law adherence is not merely procedural but essential for safeguarding personal liberties. She highlighted that after the executive directive, federal bodies like the Education Department, Treasury, and OPM opened their records to DOGE affiliates, sparking significant privacy law infringement concerns.
Her remarks underscored the enduring relevance of data privacy concerns, stressing that the initial legislation arose from fears of unlimited data gathering by bureaucrats. "Congress’s concern back then was that ‘every detail of our personal lives can be assembled instantly for use by a single bureaucrat or institution.’ Those concerns are just as salient today," she asserted.
Additionally, Judge Boardman pointed out the lawful boundaries within which executive actions should operate. She noted that while the DOGE's mission may intend to boost governmental efficiency, it must not bypass crucial legal safeguards established to protect citizens' data.
The judgment casts a spotlight on the actions of federal bodies in aligning with executive directives, urging compliance with legal norms. It also emphasizes the balance between governmental efficiency drives and respect for privacy legislation, potentially impacting how future executive instructions are executed.
This ruling stands as a significant judicial assessment of recent executive maneuvers and is an index of emerging legal precedence against executive overreach. As the legal battles unfold, the tension between efficient administration and regulatory adherence continues to draw the attention of legal practitioners, policymakers, and the public alike.
In the wake of the decision, the legal and political discourse surrounding executive orders' implementation and the safeguarding of public information is expected to intensify. This case serves as a vital reference point in the ongoing judicial review of executive powers, particularly concerning individual privacy and data rights.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be eliminated, echoing a pledge from President Trump to close the disaster relief agency. Noem shared the plans during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Monday, Breitbart reported.
FEMA has faced questions about competence, political bias, and the use of tax resources to help illegal aliens. The agency fired three more employees this month who were tied to a previously publicized incident of discrimination against pro-Trump hurricane victims in Florida.
President Trump has criticized FEMA repeatedly as ineffective and wasteful, and he has called on individual states to play a larger role in responding to disasters.
“FEMA has been a very big disappointment. They cost a tremendous amount of money. It's very bureaucratic, and it's very slow. Other than that, we're very happy with them,” Trump said in North Carolina in January.
Echoing Trump, Noem has endorsed ending FEMA "the way it exists today."
The DHS last month reclaimed $80 million in FEMA money that was given to New York City to house immigrants during Biden's border crisis.
Noem said FEMA was sending money to a high-end hotel used by the Tren De Aragua gang, which has become a target of Trump's immigration crackdown. Four FEMA employees were also fired for circumventing leadership to make the payments.
I have clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels.
FEMA was funding the Roosevelt Hotel that serves as a Tren de Aragua base of operations and was used to house Laken Riley’s killer.
Mark my words: there will not be a…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 12, 2025
FEMA cannot be abolished without an act of Congress, but Trump is moving ahead with overhauling the agency by executive order.
Both Trump and Noem have said the federal government should continue to provide resources, but that FEMA should have a smaller role in responding to disasters.
During an interview in February, Noem said FEMA is "picking and choosing winners."
“I would say, yes, get rid of FEMA the way it exists today," Noem said in February. "We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters, like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California but you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed, so it can be deployed much quicker. And we don’t need this bureaucracy that’s picking and choosing winners," Noem said.
In the meantime, Trump is scrutinizing FEMA's activities, ordering a review of all disaster aid programs that "indirectly or incidentally aid illegal aliens."
Several bombs were found at a Tesla dealership in Texas on Monday, as the company's founder Elon Musk faces a violent political backlash.
A bomb squad retrieved a number of working "incendiary devices" after police were called to a Tesla dealership in Austin.
“This is an open and ongoing investigation, and there is no further information available for release at this time,” the department said.
While police do not have a suspect, it comes after a series of violent attacks on Tesla dealerships all across the country.
Musk has faced furious backlash for his role in aggressively slashing the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency. He is at the center of an emerging Democratic party narrative about an "oligarchy" that President Trump is supposedly establishing.
Leftists are fighting back against this "oligarchy" with anarchy. Individuals have set fires, sprayed political messages and even fired bullets at Tesla property.
The Trump administration is treating the wave of arson and vandalism like domestic terrorism, with the FBI under Kash Patel announcing a new task force to investigate the threats.
"The FBI will be relentless in its mission to protect the American people. Acts of violence, vandalism, and domestic terrorism — like the recent Tesla attacks — will be pursued with the full force of the law," the FBI said in a statement to ABC News.
The recent attacks against Tesla appear to fit the typical definition of terrorism, which involves the use of political violence to advance an agenda. The FBI has tracked incidents in at least nine states.
"These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night," the FBI said last week. "Individuals require little planning to use rudimentary tactics, such as improvised incendiary devices and firearms, and may perceive these attacks as victimless property crimes."
President Trump has stood by Musk, even buying a Tesla at the White House to support him.
The president issued a fresh warning last week to anti-Tesla "terrorist thugs", suggesting they could serve hard time in El Salvador's infamously brutal prisons.
"I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla," Trump said.
"Perhaps they would serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions."
The Senate confirmed pro-Trump businessman John Phelan to be the Secretary of the Navy in a bi-partisan vote.
The final vote was 62-30, with 11 Democrats joining all 51 Republicans who voted on the nomination. Even Jack Reed (D-Rd.), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services committee, voted yes after expressing some doubts about Phelan's experience.
The Harvard Business School graduate is the founder and chairman of the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC, and previously was the co-founding partner and chief investment officer of MSD Capital, the private investment firm for tech billionaire Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies.
Phelan, an experienced businessman, presented himself as an outsider who would make necessary reforms to the Navy.
“The U.S. Navy is at crossroads, with extended deployments, inadequate maintenance, huge cost overruns, delayed shipbuilding, failed audits, subpar housing, and, sadly, record-high suicide rates,” he told he told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February.
A handful of Democrats questioned Phelan's readiness for the role, but his hearing was far from contentious.
"You're a nontraditional appointee for this position, and that can be OK if the tradition is not working," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine (Va.) said.
Ranking member Jack Reed - who ultimately voted for Phelan - initially expressed doubts about his ability to manage a complex military organization like the Navy.
Phelan said it was time to try a new approach.
“The Navy and the Marine Corps already possess extraordinary operational expertise within their ranks. My role is to utilize that expertise and strengthen it to step outside the status quo and take decisive action with a results-oriented approach,” he said.
Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth was among those who congratulated Phelan on getting the job.
"Congratulations John Phelan on being Confirmed as the 79th Secretary of the Navy! Looking forward to supporting our warfighters together," Hegseth said.
Phelan's confirmation comes after a Navy aircraft carrier was damaged in a collision with a merchant vessel last month. In a previous concerning incident, a pair of Navy Pilots were shot down over the Red Sea by friendly fire.
During his confirmation hearing, Phelan told the Senate that President Trump is particularly concerned about the condition of the Navy's fleet. Phelan said Trump texts him in the middle of the night with pictures of rusty warships.
“The president has been very consistent when he spoke with me: shipbuilding, shipbuilding, shipbuilding,” Phelan said.
A book by climate alarmist Al Gore was spotted on a bookshelf in the background of a video Usha Vance, wife of Vice President J.D. Vance, posted ot Instagram, the UK Daily Mail reported. The Second Lady was speaking about an upcoming trip to Greenland when eagle-eyed viewers noticed the controversial reading material.
The 1992 book Earth in the Balance, penned by the former vice president, was noticeably placed behind Usha Vance as she spoke about the trip. The Second Lady didn't mention anything about the book she perhaps unknowingly had on the shelf as she eagerly shared news about the trip.
Usha Vance noted she'd be visiting during the nation's famed dogsled races. "I’m also coming to celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our two nations and to express hope that our relationship will only grow stronger in the coming years," the second lady said.
View this post on Instagram
The radical climate agenda is extremely unpopular among conservatives, as is the movement's godfather, Al Gore. He's known for making outlandish predictions that don't come true while jetsetting on carbon-spewing private planes to continue with the rhetoric.
As with his other work, the book spotted behind Usha Vance was filled with hyperbolic language that would be laughable if not for the fact that some took it as a serious call to action. When called out on it years later, Gore doubled down with the craziest metaphor of all, according to a Fox News report from 2007.
"The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor," he told then-Rep. Joe Barton(R-TX). "If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say 'I read a science fiction novel that says it's not a problem.' You take action," Gore added.
Gore peppered his climate alarmist screed with all kinds of silliness, but he went a step further with a strawman attack on Michael Crichton's State of Fear novel. The popular author, who has since passed away, illustrated the climate hysteria by using Gore-like activists as the villains in his 2004 fiction.
People who see that the second lady has Gore's book are inclined to conclude that she believes the drivel he's been spewing for decades, but there's no indication one way or the other. Notably, she was a registered Democrat until 2014, when she married J.D. Vance.
While some may be focusing on old books Usha Vance keeps on her shelf, the vice president had his eye on Greenland's strategic location. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to acquire the island nation, which surely plays into J.D. Vance's visit.
As Reuters reported, the vice president posted about his intentions for the visit. "Looking forward to visiting Greenland on Friday," J.D. Vance captioned a video accompanying the post.
"A lot of other countries have threatened Greenland, have threatened to use its territories and its waterways to threaten the United States, to threaten Canada, and of course, to threaten the people of Greenland. So we are going to check out how things are going there," the vice president said in the video.
"Unfortunately, leaders in both America and in Denmark, I think, ignored Greenland for far too long," J.D. Vance added. Greenland is located between the U.S. and Europe and could serve as a staging ground for counterattacks from places like Russia and China.
Usha Vance has not made her opinions known, but it's irrelevant. The American people elected Trump and J.D. Vance, and they trust that they will carry out the conservative agenda just as promised. So far, they have done just that, independent of their wives' reading preferences.
FBI Director Kash Patel dispelled the CNN-created myth of a "major cutback" of agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Fox News reported. Patel was forced to issue a memo after the network published a report Saturday with the erroneous information.
The report claimed that Patel "had outlined plans to move as many as 1,000 ATF agents to the FBI" and that he would be "cutting ATF’s agents by more than a third." CNN claimed it had three unnamed sources that shared this information.
The left-leaning network explained that the ATF is unpopular with Second Amendment advocates and has been in the "crosshairs of gun rights groups" for some time. "The ATF has about 2,600 agents and more than 5,000 employees, a number that has remained largely unchanged for years," the report said.
CNN later added that it was forced to roll back the information after "pushback," which is also known as the truth. "After the publication of this story and resulting pushback including from Republican allies, FBI officials began to back off aspects of their plan, according to a US official familiar with the matter," CNN's report clarified.
Patel issued the memo to ATF personnel that was later shared with Fox News Digital. "I want to address a report from this weekend speculating about the intentions of FBI leadership with personnel decisions at the ATF," Patel wrote.
"This weekend, CNN reported news of a plan on the part of our leadership to ‘cut as many as one third’ of ATF agents and reallocate 1,000 agents over to the FBI. The report even suggested our leadership team altered course after reading a news report, and ultimately backed off certain aspects of changes," the memo went on.
"This ‘report’ is entirely false," he added. "The fake news will NEVER be responsible for operational command authority over the ATF, we are," Patel continued.
"The brave men and women of the ATF who courageously dedicate themselves to protecting the American public will not have their security jeopardized by the media’s disinformation campaigns. When we make decisions, they will be final, regardless of the input of CNN or any other news organization," Patel added.
This news comes a month after President Donald Trump charged Patel with fixing the problems at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He's also serving as the acting director of the ATF and would be within his rights to make personnel changes to the agency, though it appears it was never true.
Patel has infamously sparred with the media as he fearlessly defended himself against their attacks. He was sworn in as FBI director on Feb. 21 and had strong words for his detractors in the press.
"You have written everything you possibly can about me that's fake, malicious, slanderous and defamatory. Keep it coming," Patel said at the time.
"Bring it on, but leave the men and women of the FBI out of it. They deserve better," Patel challenged the media. The clip was shared widely on X, formerly Twitter, including by conservative commentator Benny Johnson.
🔥BANG! Kash Patel sends DIRECT message to the Fake News:
“You've written EVERYTHING you possibly can about me that's fake, malicious, slanderous, and defamatory. Keep it coming. Bring it on. But leave the men and women of the FBI out of it.”
pic.twitter.com/UoC1n79AzD— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 21, 2025
The media is in full attack mode with Trump once again in the White House. Wherever this information about cuts at the ATF came from for CNN, it's clear they're unreliable and willing to believe whatever best suits their narrative whether it's true or not.
The Trump administration is warning Egypt that if it doesn't agree to take 700,000 Gazan refugees, it could lose billions in aid when the U.S. offers the same deal to other nations.
U.A.E. President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo over the weekend to convey the offer from the U.S., according to a UK and Qatari media source.
Egypt's struggling economy could benefit from the sizeable aid package, but if it waits much longer to accept the deal, the U.S. will offer it elsewhere, a source close to the discussion said.
Cairo could also lose existing aid from the U.S. of $1.3 to $1.5 billion if it refuses. So far, Cairo has resisted the idea.
Trump said last month that he wants to resettle Gaza's entire population and turn it into an economic hub for the Middle East, with the U.S. in charge of the territory.
If he's able to do so, it will be a major transformation of the entire region and an entirely new Middle East strategy.
The area is still a battleground as Israel tries to eradicate Hamas terrorists using it for a base. Many civilians have been killed by Israeli forces because Hamas has used them as human shields and hidden war resources in civilian locations like schools and hospitals.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced a voluntary resettlement program in Gaza, headed by a new department and in alignment with Trump's stated goals.
“I welcome President Trump’s bold initiative, which can create extensive opportunities for those in Gaza who wish to leave, assist them in resettling in host countries, and support long-term reconstruction efforts in a demilitarized, threat-free Gaza after Hamas—an effort that will take many years," Katz stated in a post on X.
Katz further said he expects the governments of Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others who have criticized Israel for attacking civilian areas to take in the refugees or be accused of hypocrisy, and said that Canada was already forming a resettlement plan.
Polling has indicated that a majority of Gazans, 52%, would leave if they could. Of those, 14% said they would leave permanently and 38% said they would temporarily relocate.
A Gallup poll of Gazans found that, if given the opportunity to leave Gaza, more than half of them would leave—either temporarily or permanently pic.twitter.com/YOfk7VnFTh
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) March 21, 2025
Relocating the citizenry of Gaza would solve several problems for Israel; reducing civilian casualties, making it easier to find and eliminate Hamas terrorists, and depriving the terrorists of resources it is currently taking from Gazan civilians.
A ceasefire ended before the deadline earlier this month when Hamas failed to release hostages as agreed.
During a recent podcast interview, former First Lady Michelle Obama expressed her surprise at the controversy that surrounded her school lunch initiative, Breitbart reported.
Obama believed her initiative to improve nutrition in schools would be non-controversial, but it faced significant opposition and was ultimately altered under President Trump's administration.
Michelle Obama discussed the contentious nature of her school lunch program on the "Not Gonna Lie" podcast hosted by Kylie Kelce. The initiative was introduced as part of her broader "Let's Move" campaign, which launched in 2010 with the goal of promoting healthier lifestyles among children. Obama explained that she expected initiatives focusing on healthier school meals and increased physical activity to be universally accepted and nonpartisan.
Obama remarked on her strategic efforts to align her agenda with the priorities of the previous administration, seeing school nutrition as a common-sense issue that should transcend political divisions. She noted, "There’s no way that anyone is going to take issue with trying to make school lunches healthier, getting kids more active."
The former First Lady was candid about her misjudgment. "Just trying to make the next generation healthier than ours and, boy, was I wrong," she stated, drawing parallels with current administrative ideas, particularly those voiced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Despite being designed to enhance nutrition standards and make food labeling more approachable, the school lunch program was criticized. Critics accused Obama of trying to implement a "nanny state" approach by dictating dietary choices for children.
Obama reflected on the political climate that fueled the controversy. "It became a partisan issue," she recalled. "People were telling me that I’m trying to control what our kids are eating."
Initially, the program aimed to introduce healthier meals in schools, yet it attracted criticism from students who posted unappetizing meal photos online. This negative reaction illustrated the broader opposition the initiative faced.
Under President Donald Trump's administration, the program saw significant rollbacks beginning in 2017. These changes reintroduced certain items, such as chocolate milk, back into school menus. Sonny Perdue, who served as Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture, emphasized the importance of "flexibility in menu planning."
Perdue argued that allowing schools to individually tailor meals could help reduce waste. "Schools want to offer food that students actually want to eat," he stated, emphasizing that nutrition was futile if meals simply ended up being discarded.
Further changes came in 2020 when the Trump administration announced additional rollbacks on the nutrition standards set by Obama. The administration sought to address concerns over food waste while striving to provide appealing meal options for students.
Obama’s initial proposal focused on creating lasting health benefits. Nevertheless, the short-term pushback it received highlighted a significant division in how nutritional policy was perceived by different political factions.
Despite the challenges, Obama maintained her belief in the program's overarching goals. She highlighted achievements such as enhanced nutrition standards, which aimed to foster awareness among young Americans about healthful eating.
Looking to the future, Obama expressed hope that conversations surrounding child nutrition would evolve beyond the partisan conflicts that characterized past debates. Her experience serves as a reminder of how policy ideas, regardless of intent, can get entangled in political discourse.
Elon Musk is under fresh scrutiny over a leaked video of the Tesla CEO performing an unusual party trick for President Trump's guests.
In the short video, an intensely focused Musk can be seen silently balancing his silverware on the tips of his fingers at an exclusive Mar-A-Lago event. Musk's behavior led to criticism online with some calling it childish or odd.
Musk appears to be seated with Shivon Zillis, the mother of four of his kids, as Trump engages in a conversation nearby.
Musk, meanwhile, is completely zoned in on playing with his fork and spoon. He chimed in on X to confirm what he was up to.
"A fork and two spoons balanced on the tip of my finger," he wrote.
The Tesla CEO's eccentric behavior has received publicity on numerous occasions and has caused some headaches for Trump - including an incident where Musk was accused of making a Nazi salute on the day of Trump's inauguration.
Despite their very different personalities, Trump and Musk have been working as a tag team on a historic effort to slash the size of government, making Musk a top target in the U.S. political scene. The world's wealthiest man is at the center of Democratic talking points about "oligarchy" as the party struggles to find its way out of a post-election slump.
The viral clip of Musk's balancing act led to more criticism, with some labeling it "weird" and others seeing it as evidence of his eccentric "genius."
"I also did that kind of thing when I was 5," one user wrote.
"He probably thinks this makes him look like an engineer," another wrote.
On a more serious note, Musk has been on the receiving end of a violent political backlash. The Justice Department has declared recent arson and vandalism incidents against Tesla as acts of domestic terror.
With many of Musk's critics speculating about his drug use, Musk has admitted to taking ketamine, a potent hallucinogen, to control feelings of depression.
"If you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done. I have a lot of work, I’m typically putting in 16-hour days," Musk told Don Lemon in an interview.
"So I don’t really have a situation where I can be not mentally acute for an extended period of time.”
Despite working sixteen-hour days, Musk clearly still knows how to have fun.